Mascom unveils signature centre

INNOVATIONS

By John Churu, Gaborone, Botswana

Mascom Wireless Botswana has unveiled its technologically advanced Innovation Centre (MIC) which is its signature structure in the country to date.

During an interview with Biztechafrica, Bonolo Gababotse, Mascom’s Chief Technical Officer, said contrary to previous media reports, the centre is not going to be the headquarters for Mascom.

“This massive three storey infrastructure here is the new data centre for Mascom Wireless, which doubles up as the organisation’s technical hub as well,” he told Biztechafrica.

According to world ICT infrastructure rankings, this latest Mascom Innovation Centre has been awarded a tier 3 rating, meaning, the building has received a class two rating. Gababotse said there are 4 tier ratings, with tier 4 being the topmost while tier 1 is the least.

The centre has been built constructed at a “very secure environment, with most of the structures having followed rigorous environmental friendliness requirement," added Gababotse who also doubled as the tour guide around the complex.

The tower itself is was designed in such a way that it is an aesthetical embodiment of its surroundings, he says, thus making it environmentally friendly.

In addition, the shape of the tower is one of its kind in Africa and has moved away from the traditional palm-tree-look of the previous Mascom towers.

Since 1988 Mascom Wireless, Botswana’s leading telecommunications provider, has established a formidable history of innovation and customer service that is well-known and recognized throughout the country.

Providing the widest coverage in Botswana, Mascom reaches over 95% of the population, with a subscriber base of over 1.59 Million customers.

Mascom customers will be glad to hear that breakdowns in network transmission owing to power outages will be a thing of the past, because the new centre has taken care of all the technological glitches that might dent network operations.

On standby are two diesel generators with a 14 000 litre capacity each to provide backup 24 hours a day.

According to Barbara Tshipana, Mascom Wireless’  public relations and communications officer, the Mascom Innovation Center is a first of its kind in Botswana.

She says it includes several features that set it apart.

These, she says, include the following:

* it is an over USD25 million facility comprising a three-storey state of the art and highly modern design,

* a 54 metres high, 3 legged, very unique and iconic transmission telecommunications tower, and

* a building designed conscious of the environment with technologically advanced equipment installations