However, the Sierratel CCO said the phones are not for traditional voice calls only, adding that they are not like Landline Phone service people used to know in yesteryears.
“As a State-owned Telecoms company and the only business owned by all Sierra Leoneans, we have no alternative but to meet the needs of the various segments of our customers and Sierra Leoneans. Since we launched the Landline phones promotion, we have embarked on extensive outreach to both the Corporate segment of our business and the mass market customers,” he said.
He said the landline phones are being installed in institutions that are on daily basis requesting for the service since the promotion was launched, noting that responses from the users have been so far positive.
“There are some churches that do live streaming of their services, these landline phones and ADSL Service would be very useful for that purpose. Some students would like to use the data/internet services of the ADSL and landline phone service for research. Many people can connect to the router that is installed with the landline phones for internet service. So, in other words, the landline phones could be used as Wi-Fi,” he explained.
He disclosed that the launching of the landline phones is a precursor to the introduction of fibre to the home (FTTH) and triple play which comprises voice calls, internet and media contents.
He said currently Sierratel’s Market Developers are going door-to-door issuing questionnaires to know if customers, who used to own the landline phones, wish to carry on with the numbers they had before or want to be assigned new numbers.
Similarly, he noted that for new customers, numbers would be assigned to them once they install the landline phones.
During the launch of the landline phones on 8th July, 2019, Sierratel’s Managing Director, Senesie Kallon, said the government-owned telecom operator, continues to deliver attractive, innovative, reliable and competitive data and voice services and solutions across Sierra Leone
“Sierratel was Sierra Leone’s first and sole telecoms operator which offered landline telephony services in the capital and provincial cities. Since the advent of mobile telephony services, the company has spent the past few years focusing on reinstating its position as the go-to telecoms provider in the country, leveraging its unique market position which it still retains as the sole provider of fixed line, mobile data and voice,” he said.
He added that Sierratel is a unique market differentiator as the only telecoms operator that provides one-stop solution.
