Mobile network connects rural Sierra Leone to the web

Mobile telecommunications network, TIGO, is said to be the first mobile network in Sierra Leone to provide Internet facilities to those areas across the country with TIGO coverage.

Speaking on some of the services provided, Choe Miller, TIGO's Marketing Manager, said TIGO provides GPRS, which enables subscribers to access Internet services via their mobile phones at any time of their convenience.

"This service we provided is a twenty-four hours facility to any of our subscribers in the country," he said confidently.

Miller disclosed that the cost of mobile internet browsing is very cheap, adding that it costs only Le 3,00 per kilobyte and Le 3,000 (approximately US$1) per megabyte respectively.

He said the capacity of this facility has been increased and can be browsed from any part of the country.

He also mentioned the fact that the company is offering bonus credits with the downloading facility every weekend to the first 150 subscribers who log on to Togo's Internet Server.

"In Pujehun or Moyamba, rural southern Sierra Leone, subscribers can get free time for Internet browsing and check their emails or visit the BBC website with their mobile phones," he told Highway Africa News Agency (HANA).

Miller further maintained that TIGO offers a wide range of other facilities including a ring-back tone, for which, he said, interested subscribers are requested to register for a fee of only Le 1,000 (less than a US$1) and an additional fee of Le 6,000 (approximately US$2) to download a song of choice for use as a ring tone.

Miller also disclosed to HANA that his company has recently introduced the 'Trivial Promotion' which he said only requires subscribers to answer short simple questions through text messages to win free credits.

He lauded its numerous subscribers for using their network adding that "subscribers are increasing in numbers daily."

"Our network and facilities provided to our numerous subscribers show that we are set to take over the market in Sierra Leone," he told the HANA correspondent in the capital Freetown.

The company has also reduced its SMS tariff per message from TIGO to TIGO and to all TIGO to other networks respectively.

Another innovation is the TIGO Happy Hour, which enables subscribers to talk free for as long as one hour. TIGO also offers six hours free call time from 12 midnight to 6am.

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