MTN SA Issues Fiber RFP

JOHANNESBERG, South Africa -- MTN SA announced today (07 September 2007) that it has started the process of requesting proposals from suppliers to roll-out a national 5 000km optical fibre network, which it intends to build across South Africa over the next two years.

Tim Lowry, Managing Director of MTN SA, stated that MTN was finalising its self-provisioning plans. “The demand for data services is placing huge requirements on our transmission network and this need cannot be met by current suppliers.”

“In response, MTN has designed and mapped out its own national backbone network, and is in the process of going out to tender to identify relevant suppliers and obtain final costings for the laying of 5 000km of optical fibre cables to build the MTN network. It is our intention to engage with joint venture partners and suppliers in this project, and a final decision on the awarding of the tender will be taken before the end of this year.”

“Entering the fixed-line business is a bold move by MTN and typical of our can do spirit. Once we have appointed our preferred suppliers and partners we will be building the network as rapidly as we can,” comments Lowry.

“We have been running a successful fibre pilot project for the past two months. Fibre optic cables have been laid between Sandton, Illovo and Rosebank, north of Johannesburg. Companies such as SAB Miller and the JSE have been part of the MTN pilot project. Having been awarded a commercial licence to self-provide, MTN is now in a position to launch the first commercial offering by a mobile network service provider”.

“We are going with self-provisioning to cut operational and customer costs and we are now the alternative choice to the current fixed-line operator”.

“With the launch of our three offerings within the MTN Fibre Access product stable we will now be in a position to provide our corporate customers with a superior service that can be rolled out within 6 to 12 weeks,” says Lowry.

Under its mobile licence, MTN may self-provide the telecommunication facilities used to build its Mobile Converged Telecommunications Services (MCTS). It may also lease excess capacity on to self-provided telecommunication facilities.

Says Lowry: “The demand for high-speed internet and VPN access services within the corporate market is growing daily. Customers need these services to be installed within a reasonable period of time.

“A fibre optic network offers MTN almost infinite capacity, and can carry far more information at higher speeds over much greater distances, using far less power than copper cables.” explains Lowry.

Mobile Telephone Networks (MTN)