3G refers to the third generation of mobile telecommunications technology that supports more diverse applications among them, wide area wireless voice telephony, video calls and broadband wireless data. 3G follows two earlier generations, the first generation which began in the early 1980's with commercial deployment of Advanced Mobile Phone Service cellular networks and the second from the 1990 when mobile operators deployed two competing digital voice standards.

The launching of 3G by Econet follows that of the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) which allowed mobile internet access. Econet had a number of its subscribers on GPRS test, but will begin billing today (Monday 6 April 2009) in preparation of its full launch at the end of April.

Econet Wireless Chief Executive Officer, Douglas Mboweni said engineers were testing the equipment that the company had acquired two years ago, some of which had already been overtaken by technological changes.

Over the past two years the country’s cellular networks have been waiting to get 3G frequencies from POTRAZ; who have since been instructed by the Information Communication Technology minister, Nelson Chamisa, to make frequencies available for the expansion of the networks. POTRAZ recently offered the telecommunications operators a blanket license allowing them to offer new generation services but had not yet made available the frequencies required to make the services possible.

Econet Wireless will also intends to launch by June this year the Black-berry service, which will allow subscribers to receive emails on their mobile phones


Rashweat Mukundu
Programme Specialist: Media Freedom Monitoring
MISA Regional Secretariat
21 Johann Albrecht Street
Private Bag 13386
Windhoek, Namibia
Tel: + 264 61 232 975
Fax:+264 61 248016
Mobile: 00 264 813 675 362
E mail rashweat@misa.org, misaalerts@gmail.com

Back