Celtel And Five Years Of Mobile Telephone
by Anthony Lington2005-09-30 00:00:00 | Viewed 1307 times
Tomorrow, CELTEL Sierra Leone will be officially celebrating its five years of active existence in Sierra Leone.
The grand finale celebration slated for Saturday 1st October at the National Stadium themed 'dance with me' will be joined by K-man, Jungle Leaders, Vida, Daddy Saj and a host of others doing best performances CELTEL over past five years has been faced with the challenges of proving to Sierra Leone that it is a giant in mobile telecommunication. It is therefore the subscribers' prerogative to unleash the right to unbiased self-judgment. Not only comparative judgment but that which is also reflective of its slogan 'making life better'. How has CELTEL made life better in the last five years? What direct impact does its activities have on the economy of Sierra Leone and why are its tariffs higher than those of competitors.
These are some of the guidelines if CELTEL is to be scrutinized for final verdict.
In the past months I see the company's image being slaughtered on the altar of high tariffs, but it must also be remembered as the hallmark of modern telecommunications in Sierra Leone. The competition that now looms in the telecommunication sector is traceable to CELTEL's resilience in its early days of establishment. Who knows, there may not have been mobile telephony if CELTEL did not build the grounds for such adventure. So, as CELTEL celebrates its five years of being in this country, I want to enjoin every Sierra Leonean to rejoice with the company that transformed the lives of Sierra Leoneans from the darker days of analogue and ineffective communication structure into a digital mobile phone revolution. For purpose of clarifications, we may now have a thorough analysis of the merits of CELTEL Sierra Leone.
Tariffs CELTEL's tariffs since inception has been affordable.
It is the people's right to call for tariff reduction but the challenge the company faces is how to reduce tariffs and keep on delivering value for money, says Bernald Sisay, CELTEL's marketing manager. According to him, since 2002, CELTEL has not increased its tariffs and no other organization has kept its price down this way.
It is understood that the company is bent on not compromising their quality services for lower tariffs.
Little wonder most subscribers are drawn from the business community, government institutions, NGOs and youths who are not able to forego quality services for economic reasons.
Network/ coverage CELTEL Sierra Leone has been able to cover almost all the twelve provinces of Sierra Leone. Its network is wide and far and it is constantly expanding into new areas. This is one of the edges that CELTEL has over other competitors. It is the first to provide this far reaching service in Sierra Leone and it is preferred by business people, says Francis Kakua, CELTEL dealer.
Pioneers of Mobile Communications When CELTEL came to Sierra Leone in 2000, it was a novelty having that kind of company. As a result it was difficult getting both technical and intellectual structures in place. Eranus Thompson,operations/technical manager says it was a great challenge because at the time the country was insecure. He had so much planning only to see none of it implemented. Seeing his plans turn into reality is unbelievably exciting as he celebrates five years of operational success. We had to make do with staff that were mainly raw and manage through hands-on participation. This was one of the things that motivated the workers and today CELTEL is boastful of skillful staff ,he explained.
This and many are the sacrifices that CELTEL made for Sierra Leone to be able to have full dividends of global system for mobile communications (GSM).
Building investors' confidence.
That CELTEL came immediately after the war did not only give room for other networks but also attracted investors in other sectors. CELTEL proved beyond doubts that Sierra Leone was peaceful and ready for investment opportunities. In the sense, it has been a major player in the economic recovery of Sierra Leone, since the ten-year civil strife.
Employment and human development CELTEL has been able to put food on the table of so many Sierra Leoneans by creating employment opportunities. CELTEL has a vast number of indigenous staff members that cuts across all disciplines.
Consequently, most of these employees are provided with skills acquisition facilities overseas and locally. Human Development is another channel through which the company is contributing to the development of Sierra Leone.
Community development Salia Gbane is the commercial director of CELTEL Sierra Leone. In his five years anniversary message, he stressed that CELTEL has community development as a major objective. ' We are deeply involved in development projects for the benefit of the communities within which we operate'. In fairness, classrooms, water wells and ongoing support for community projects are some of the most significant CELTEL initiatives. Without doubts, CELTEL has made life better for a larger number of Sierra Leoneans.
As a young electrical/electronics engineer just out of a Nigerian college, I had so much flair for telecommunications. CELTEL was the only GSM Company that offered to have me employed, even though its efforts were thwarted by the ministry of labor and productivity . I enjoyed mobile communications for the first time when I came to Sierra Leone in 2001 because of CELTEL. Sierra Leone has a history of becoming a more communications active country before most West Africa countries including the almighty Nigeria courtesy of CELTEL. So, why shoudn't CELTEL have a swell time on Saturday. We celebrate your achievements and will always support your developmental ventures.
HEAP! HEAP!! HURRAY!!!
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