TMCnews Featured Article

Longphone, a European carrier and VoIP call termination provider, with a specialization in African destinations, reportedly has selected Gateway as a strategic partner for its call-termination service to Africa.

Gateway Communications (News - Alert) owns and operates pan-African telecommunications network. It connects over 583 million people in over 40 African countries, working in partnership with the continents mobile phone operators.

In a release, Longphone officials said that Gateway, which owns and manages a private all-IP, next generation network, will help the company to extend its African footprint with direct access to more countries and operators across the continent.

Company officials said the agreement allows Longphone to benefit from Gateway's voice connectivity offer as a serious boost to its already extensive continental network of direct routes.

“Gateway is the most suitable partner to help Longphone intensify its call termination business into Africa. By providing us premium quality routing with suitable and long-lasting capacity, Gateway becomes a strategic contributor to our full-African-connectivity commitment,' said Eytan Cohen, CEO, Longphone, in the release.

Mike Van den Bergh, CEO of Gateway wholesale & carrier services, said that these are fast-moving and exciting times for the African telecommunications sector.

He said that Gateway has more direct connections into Africa than any other operator.

In December Gateway Communications announced the acquisition of a 10.5Ghz spectrum license for 10 states in Nigeria. The states are Kano, Kaduna, Rivers, Delta, Abuja, Edo, Oyo, Anambra, Abia and Enugu.

The acquisition follows Gateway’s successful roll out of the Airlink and MetroLink 10.5Ghz spectrum solutions in Lagos and furthers Gateway’s drive to build a pan-African connectivity network that covers every major African city based on satellite, submarine cable and terrestrial (fibre) infrastructure.

Gateway will roll out services across the ten states in 2010, with Port Harcourt and Abuja scheduled to go live in February 2010 and the company has committed to roll out the solutions to a further 14 states in 2011.

The acquisition continues Gateway’s strategic expansion in Nigeria and investment in infrastructure.