By: Nghiinomenwa-vali Hangala
An assessment by the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) has revealed that no short-term interventions will cure the present deficiencies in Telecom Namibia’s operation.
CRAN stated the long-term sustainability of Telecom Namibia “requires significant capital investment, whether through debt, equity, or other appropriate instruments, to modernise and consolidate its network.”
This comes after the regulator summoned Telecom Namibia to explain the causes of recent service disruptions, adding that measures were already implemented to restore stability, along with planned infrastructure modernisation initiatives to improve network resilience.
CRAN chief executive officer, Emilia Nghikembua, explained that only sustained investment and structural reform are necessary to ensure enduring stability, resilience, business continuity, and the long-term viability of Telecom as an operator.
Between January and May 2026, Telecom Namibia recorded several service outages, pointing to persistent network instability.
CRAN noted that “these were not minor, localised glitches, but repeated nationwide disruptions affecting mobile data, voice calls, and text messaging across the country.”
The Authority added that the outages are a result of failures in access systems, power supply, fibre connections, hardware, transport infrastructure, as well as incidents of copper theft.
“Such widespread instability underscores the urgent need for regulatory oversight and support,” Nghikembua added.
Moreover, it was acknowledged that the current quality of the network does not meet the minimum parameters prescribed under the Quality-of-Service Standards applicable to Telecommunications Licensees.
CRAN has also acknowledged the inconvenience caused by service outages and recognises the critical role that reliable communications services play in Namibia’s economy and daily life.
Nghikembua has committed to ensuring that Telecom Namibia, one of the operators in the country’s telecommunications infrastructure, delivers services that meet consumer expectations in a commercially viable manner.
erastus@thevillager.com.na
