The potential cost savings of network outsourcing were highlighted in a recent report from Pyramid Research, which showed that it could reduce mobile operators costs by 20 - 25%. The authors predict that operators will increasingly take advantage of outsourcing globally, and Gateway says this is particularly true for Africa, where operators are driven by the need for cost-effective, rapid network deployment in reaching new subscribers in new geographies.

In an expanding mobile telecoms market the first operator to establish coverage gains a huge advantage over subsequent entrants, because users are signed up to long contracts and there is inertia in moving to new networks. It is imperative, therefore, for operators to roll out their technology as quickly as possible to beat the competition.

The companys service incorporates the design, installation and management of the physical satellite network. Recent projects have been undertaken in DRC, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, and Kenya. In Zambia its specialist expertise has been used by Celtel to roll out its network over the last six months.

Since then it has gained 900 000 subscribers and now covers all of the countrys 72 districts. Just-released government statistics show that Zambia has experienced ‘significant growth, which is attributed to the expansion of network coverage, primarily through Celtels programme.

David Venn, MD of Celtel Zambia, says: Celtel Zambia had worked with Gateway Communications in Zambia in the initial stages of this project, and its local expertise, bandwidth capacity and technical knowledge enabled the rapid roll-out of our network. In just six months we extended coverage from 35 to all 72 Zambian districts.

Satellite and microwave are the logical solution for the challenges of reaching new communities in Africa, particularly remote ones, and are the only viable alternative to cable. However, the need to build base stations in a controlled and cost-effective way means that operators are increasingly outsourcing the complex task to specialists.