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| Wednesday, 8 October 2003 |
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$ 4 million investment to widen Celltel's coverage Celltel CEO Dumindra Ratnayaka unveiled Celltel's 4th phase of expansion yesterday in Colombo which coincides with the actual commencement of the 4th Phase (starting with the commissioning of a GSM site in Hatton). Phase 4 of the GSM expansion is a US $ 4 million investment which will result in an 80% increase in capacity and coverage outstation, particularly along the southern coast. "This will involve a 100% increase in Switch capacity levels in GSM. We are also launching 100 new Ring Tones as well as Picture Messages for customers to choose from and the ability to personalise your phone in the language of your choice be it Sinhala or English, which incidentally is another first from Celltel" said Ratnayaka. To date Celltel's investment in Sri Lanka amounts to US $ 72 million, with Sri Lanka's very first cellular phone operator reaffirming its commitment to providing customers the latest in GSM communication facilities, coupled with superior customer care and value added services. Celltel is a wholly owned subsidiary of Millicom International Cellular S.A. (MIC). Millicom is a global telecommunications investor with cellular operations in Asia, Latin America and Africa. It currently has 16 cellular operations and licences in 15 countries. The Group's cellular operations have a combined population under licence (excluding Tele2) of approximately 382 million people. In addition, MIC provides high-speed wireless data services in five countries. MIC also has a 6.0% interest in Tele2 AB, the leading alternative pan-European telecommunications company offering fixed and mobile telephony, data network and Internet services to 17.7 million customers in 22 countries. The Company's shares are traded on the Luxembourg Bourse and the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol MICC. Celltel has successfully focused its strategy on prepay, resulting in a customer base of over 400,000 today. Prepay is the largest segment in the mobile market, with the highest growth rate. Celltel was the first mobile phone operator to come out with the pre pay card in 1997 and the CellCard GSM continues to be the leader in this segment, he said. Listing Celltel's other 'firsts' Ratnayaka said that they were the pioneers of the three language, 24 hour operational Call Centre as well as being the first mobile phone operator to introduce internet services. Currently the No. 2 player in the local cellular phone industry, Celltel has maintained this position by focusing on giving 'maximum value' to customers. "We believe in marketing our strengths which are cutting edge GSM technology, which is constantly being updated with a regular and systematic benchmark of operations and transfer of technology systems and operational processes to maximise customer satisfaction. Continuous change and improvement is the motto of our organisation which enables us to deliver maximum value and convenience to the customer". International roaming, which is now a prerequisite in the corporate world, Celltel has roaming facilities in 70 countries and 148 networks with the latest to be added on to the Celltel network being Jamaica, Qatar, the West Indies and Ireland. Another of Celltel's strengths are its staff, whose commitment and dedication keep us competitive. "We have the highest productivity levels per employee according to our parent company benchmarks", Ratnayaka said. Celltel's 4th Phase of GSM expansion will be completed when the final GSM site is commissioned on December 15 in Ampara. Touching on Celltel's 5th Phase of expansion due to commence early next year, Ratnayaka said that it would involve expansion of GSM coverage, further increasing outstation coverage by 250% which would match customer requirements and expectations and would include the North and East. "Millicom is fully committed to Celltel and the growth of the cellular industry in Sri Lanka and we have ambitious plans to provide islandwide GSM coverage by the end of next year", Ratnayaka said. The first site was launched yesterday in Hatton. |
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