Telecom Namibia plans to build 500 telecom towers over the next five years.

As reported by Comms Update, the state-owned telco said the deployment of the towers will support its effort to improve both the quality and availability of its mobile service.

Last year, the telco outlined an investment program to invest $155 million to modernize its fixed and mobile networks, and accelerate its digital transformation.

Comms Update reports that the Telecom Namibia general manager, Stanley Shanapinda, confirmed the plans for the tower deployment, earlier this week.

"There are a lot of people who have been left behind when it comes to connectivity. For us operators, these are the key issues we need to address if we want to bridge the digital divide."

Last year, Namibia's regulator, the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN), called for more private sector investment in the country's telecoms companies to improve its 4G coverage.

The country is yet to launch a 5G network, but CRAN awarded 5G licenses to Telecom Namibia, Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC), and the local ISP Loc8 Mobile earlier this month.