afrol News, 11 May - Sonatel, the national telecommunications provider in Senegal, has signed a US$ 13 million contract to a Canadian company to extend its services to rural areas. Sonatel is to improve its services and network by delivering fixed wireless voice, fax and Internet services to its customers throughout Senegal.

The Montreal-based company SR Telecom today signed a US$ 13 million contract with Senegal's telecom provider Sonatel. According to a statement issued by SR Telecom, Sonatel had selected an SR500 fixed wireless access system for its rural communications development project, "aimed at meeting the Senegalese government's ongoing universal access objectives."

The SR500 system is a "high-capacity point-to-multipoint fixed wireless access system that enables operators to extend their reach and deliver a full range of tailor-made voice and data applications to end-users in remote locations," according to its producer, SR Telecom, which is delivering the system throughout the world.

Adding to its already large network of SR500 systems, Senegal's Sonatel now is to deliver voice, fax and Internet services to its customers. Upon completion of this two-year project, SR500 is to be installed in more than 650 villages across the country.

The Canadian telecom supplier is also to provide certain services for Sonatel, including field surveys, network design, installation, training and project management, the SR Telecom statement said.

- This contract is the result of the longstanding business relationship we have built with Sonatel, today commented SR Telecom's President Pierre St-Arnaud. "Since the late 1980's, Sonatel has demonstrated a strong belief in the benefits of fixed wireless access technology and services that SR Telecom provides," he added.

According to Mr St-Arnaud, SR500 was an "ideal choice for meeting universal access objectives in remote communities" in countries such as Senegal. Signals from an SR500 central station reach of up to 720 kilometres, providing end-users a wide range of telecom services.

Sonatel is Senegal's national telecommunications carrier. It offers a full range of telephony and Internet services through its fully digital network.

Senegal is among sub-Saharan Africa's front riders when it comes to Internet access, although services so far are concentrated in central areas. In October last year, Sonatel improved in broadband Internet services, offering a bandwidth of up to 310 megabits a second.

According to Sonatel, Senegal is already the country in sub-Saharan Africa that has the second most significant Internet connectivity, only surpassed by South Africa. The price of Internet access has also fallen subsequently as more and more Senegalese companies and households are connected.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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