Orange Madagascar: high speed connection is no more virtual

The “genuine” 3G will be launched in Madagascar from Toamasina. Orange is actually able to propose real high speed up to 2Mbps to individuals for the price of a 234Kbps connection. Corporations are been offered customized connection time and speed from 1Mbps. The true revolution will be dropping costs; up to 80% according to rumours. It is naturally based on the current high prices and on the speed increase.

Voahangy Andrianjafy, marketing and communication manager, does not provide any further specification when announcing that pre-paid connection will be made available from Ar5,000 by Orange. It’s the same as Moov’s 3G+ offer, the first product of the sector. Depending on the speed, Orange’s offer could be less expensive. It will definitely not be the case with a 234Kbps ground speed. Orange’s 3G offer will be proposed with a couple of faces: the “Internet everywhere” and the “business everywhere”. As emphasized by the names, the main creed is the available compiled mobility and quality service.

Orange Madagascar got the authorization to operate its 3G network in August 2009. It had to wait for a while to start the commercial exploitation of its international fibber optic link. The 1.3Tb potential is huge. According to Jean Luc Bohé, Orange Madagascar’s CEO, “replication is paramount and compulsory” in order to secure the connection with the outside world. The Lion 2 cable meant to link Mahajanga to the Comoros islands, Mayotte and the Eassy network will prove its prime relevance in case of incidental or maintenance related breakdown.

What about the extension through the whole country? Orange Madagascar already has a wireless national backbone. The implementation of the upper frequency is the next step: the usual 2100Khz in order to insure the 3G short ranged but large enough band for a significant number of users. The extension into cities might actually be the forthcoming problem. Since the high speed band is fundamentally quickly overloaded, the massive installation of new antennas is proving compulsory. The caution issue might be addressed sooner than expected, as it was about the Mada Mobile operator, in order to prevent public outrun.

The high speed’s genuine stake in Madagascar is the network fusion. Jean Luc Bohé tackled the issue by declaring that the Lion cable based connection can be extended by land or wirelessly. However, only fibber optic is available to do so. The inhabitants of Toamasina and Mahajanga are privileged since Orange can deploy fibber optic in the city from the ISP to the very last mile. Antananarivo will have to rely on Telma’s fibber optic based backbone. The other operators like Moov are expecting for Orange’s price grid to move forward. Even though the legal situation is not yet clear, no operator is entitled to deny access to its network to any other one. This is no more only a must for Orange, which is, theoretically, still able to propose ADSL connection offers by renting Telma’s mediums.