Gambia gets 3G mobile product

The fourth and youngest GSM operator in Gambia, Qcell, has formally unveiled the most advanced product in the country’s cell phone industry.

Qcell, as part of celebrations marking President Yahya Jammeh’s 1994 coup that brought his government to power, Saturday inaugurated its 3G (3rd Generation) services that would for the first time allow Gambian subscribers access to services such as wireless voice telephone, internet, video calls and mobile TV in their palms.

The unveiling of this sophisticated product was done alongside the inauguration of the company’s headquarters in the form of a magnificent building.

Located along Kairaba Avenue, Qcell House was inaugurated at a colorful ceremony presided over by the Gambian President Yahya Jammeh.

“As you all probably already know, Qcell is the fourth GSM operator in The Gambia. Uniquely, however, the company is also the first and only mobile company to operate a 3G network in The Gambia,” Jammeh said.

“The occasion today is therefore historic as it represents a significant milestone not only for this giant Mobile company, but also for my government and the people of The Gambia whose wish of becoming part of the global ‘knowledge society’ is being fulfilled from the demonstrations around us this afternoon by Qcell,” he added.

President Yahya Jammeh hailed the man behind the company, multimillion dalasis businessman, Muhammed Jah. Jah is also the owner of a formidable internet providing company, Quantum Net and a technology institute affiliated with the University of the Gambia and the University of Saint Mary in Canada.

The Gambian president promised his government would deploy more efforts in the coming years to strengthen the gains in the country’s ICT sector.

“We will continue to explore new or added frontiers, towards fulfilling the aspirations of the sector, including the aspiration to ensure that quality ICT services in The Gambia are both accessible and affordable and that the environment is conducive to healthy competition for all operators in the industry,” Jammeh said. “My government believes that a viable ICT sector is needed to support the VISION 2020, the MDGs and the Silicon Valley Dream, and as such it would continue to attach importance to the sector.”

Speaking at the inaugural occasion, businessman Muhammed Jah dedicated the launch of Qcell Limited and Qcell House to the inspiration of the Gambian president as “he consistently encouraged every young Gambian to invest his/her wealth, skills, knowledge, discipline and what have you, to the development of our mother land, The Gambia.”

“Every success,” Mr Jah said, “is a function of many variables. Hard work is obviously one of them, but no amount of work would have sufficed had the economic conditions in The Gambia not been favorable for the growth of businesses. Our expansion therefore bespeaks an economy full of opportunities and potentials, widely spread out for the entrepreneurial and the brave to feast in.”

Stressing his inclination for new technologies, Muhammed Jah warned that his company wasn’t going the path of noisy marketing strategy as the mobile industry in Gambia is characterized.

“The impact of Qcell Sunu Buss on the GSM market, after only a year’s operation, has been considerable, not the least because the people in The Gambia welcomed us with open arms, support and generosity,” he stated. “With Qcell Sunu Buss, we are not interested in making noise because we know that quality often speaks for itself.”