Siemens has been awarded a contract by Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC) to roll-out a W-CDMA network in Kabul. Siemens will also supply 2G equipment to the mobile operator in Afghanistan. ‘Using the new wireless technology we will be able to connect more people to the communications network in Afghanistan – quickly and easily,’ said Dan Florentine, Chief Financial Officer of Telephone Systems International (TSI), the US-based owner of 80% of AWCC. ‘In addition to voice communications, we want to deliver mobile internet access and mobile TV to our customers over the 3G network.’
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, Afghanistan is currently home to three wireless operators – AWCC, TDCA (Roshan) and the newly launched Areeba – with a fourth licensee, Etisalat, expected to begin operations early next year. At the end of March 2006 there were 1.2 million wireless subscribers in the country.