Telecom turnaround push amid CRAN pressure

Telecom Namibia has rolled out a strategic transformation and repositioning programme aimed at modernising its operations, improving customer experience and restoring public confidence after months of repeated service failures and growing public frustration.

The state-owned operator says the programme is designed for long-term sustainability in a highly competitive telecommunications market, while accelerating digital transformation and network upgrades.

The announcement comes against a backdrop of inconsistent service delivery, with customers across the country enduring recurring outages, slow internet speeds and ageing infrastructure that has repeatedly failed to keep up with demand.

The company has already acknowledged that the disruptions were caused by a combination of ageing equipment, hardware failures, unstable international connectivity routes, and widespread copper theft and vandalism affecting critical infrastructure.

The situation prompted intervention by the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN), which engaged the operator on 3 June following months of complaints over network instability and poor service quality.

Telecom fails customers

CRAN said the outages recorded between January and May were not isolated incidents but widespread system failures affecting mobile data, voice calls and SMS services nationwide.

CRAN chief executive Emilia Nghikembua said the disruptions were linked to multiple failures across access systems, power supply, fibre and transport infrastructure, as well as rising copper theft incidents, which have now exceeded 80 cases in just four months.

“One of the major concerns driving these disruptions is copper theft… while urgent countermeasures are needed, it also presents an opportunity to modernise the network,” she said.

Following the engagement, Telecom Namibia committed to immediate short-term stabilisation measures, including replacing vulnerable equipment, strengthening backup power systems, improving international connectivity routes, and intensifying efforts to curb theft and vandalism.

In the medium to long term, the operator is expected to implement a turnaround strategy that includes upgrading backbone capacity, expanding international bandwidth, overhauling core and billing systems, and gradually shifting away from ageing copper infrastructure.

CRAN has given the company four months to complete the short-term stabilisation programme and warned that enforcement action, including fines and penalties, will follow if compliance standards are not met.

On the consumer side, strict quality-of-service rules remain in force, requiring complaints to be acknowledged within 24 hours, most faults resolved within 14 days, and 90% of faults cleared within 48 hours, with full resolution within five working days.

Customers who are not satisfied may terminate contracts without penalties if service levels fall below required standards.

Furthermore, the company is undergoing a leadership transition, with chief executive Dr Stanley Shanapinda set to leave the company at the end of his tenure after being appointed executive secretary of the Communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa (CRASA).

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