JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-Nigeria fixed wireless network operator Cell Communications (Cellcom) announced it has started the pilot phase of its 25 Nigerian nairas (US$0.19) per-minute billing without access fees.
The rationale behind the tariff restructuring is an attempt to gain a share of the call center market, which tends to be concentrated in the country’s urban centers, namely Lagos and Abuja.
The Cellcom network is based on the cdma2000 1x platform provided by Telos Technology, Harris Corporation and Global Digital Communications. The network currently comprises five sites and a network switching capacity in Lagos of 10,000 with 7,000 subscribers under this coverage area. The operator intends to increase capacity to accommodate 35,000 subscribers within the next two months.
Chris Osondu, Cellcom general manager, said the latest development is in line with the company’s goal of becoming a world-class telecom service provider that can be trusted for service and price.
