18 Feb 2015

Disruptions of telecommunications networks and telecommunications services (mobile telephony and data services) and their attendant value added services occur due to a variety of reason, says Infrastructure, Science and Technology minister, Mr Nonofo Molefhi. “Power supply challenges account for most of the outages of telecommunications networks and services. 

When there is a power failure in a certain area it negatively affects the telecommunications networks leading to disruption of services such as drop calls and network congestions,” he added.  Responding to a question in parliament from Maun West MP, Mr Molefhi said services might also be unavailable due to accidental destruction of cables by Civil Works Contractors working inside and outside Botswana. 

In some instances, he said the disruptions were caused by theft and vandalism of base stations, copper and fibre cables that connected network devices. However, he said occasionally systems failed due to various faults in the telecommunication network itself. 

“Some of these include system failures at the Government Data Centre.  My ministry has embarked in rigorous process of enhancing the system failover systems so as to minimise such failures. Funds permitting all this will be implemented in the next financial year,” he added. 

In order to mitigate against power failures, the minister said operators had been installing standby power supplies such as solar panels and generators.  Furthermore, he said in order to address disruptions due to optical fibre networks cuts which deployed services to the public, government through Botswana Fibre Networks Pty (Ltd) was building network resilience in different strategic alternative routes. 

“Similarly all the operators have been asked to improve their network performances. Whatever the reason, telecommunications operators are required, in terms of their licence conditions, to report periodically and explain any network unavailability to the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA),” he said.

“Further they are required to publicly communicate via local media and or any means to their customers, users and the public in general any such disruptions caused,” he added. Mr Tawana Moremi had asked the minister to explain the frequent network disruptions that hampered public productivity. ENDS