With the arrival of 160,000 copies of the Telecom Namibia Directory 2009/10 this week, subscribers will have in their hands the printed version of what can also be found online.

The new directory will be distributed free of charge to subscribers at Teleshop countrywide, starting next week. However some subscribers were lucky to get a copy of this latest directory at the recently concluded ICT EXPO which was held alongside the annual Windhoek Agricultural & Industrial Show.

Customers are asked to bring along the front cover of the old directory to exchange it with the newest version. Old directories can be recycled by placing them in a paper recycling bins in offices or where ever such bins are available.

Like the past editions, the new directory is a comprehensive and user-friendly information tool that consists of white and yellow pages, as well as green pages for Government ministries, followed by classified medical listings.

The white pages list in alphabetical order the names of subscribers, together with their towns and telephone numbers. The yellow pages list business subscribers alphabetically by category and feature classified advertisements of various sizes. The directory further enlists information on accommodations facilities, diplomatic mission, and essential services, thus giving complete telephone and fax numbers of key institutions in Namibia.

The Directory is updated on an annual basis. Should you have suggestions to improve this publication or have questions regarding content, please feel free to write to our Directory Section for their necessary attention and action. The contact details are Directory Section, PO Box 297, Windhoek, or by telephone at (061) 201 9211 or by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We have attached a photo of the new Directory for your usage. [Caption: Proud of their hard work are Telecom Namibia`s Directory Officers (from left) Marilyn Beukes Rosy Gille and Marie Mathys].

I trust that you will find the Telecom Namibia Telephone Directory for 2009/10 a useful and helpful publication

Telecom Namibia, the country's leading telecommunications service provider, has announced special rates on calls to Angola for three months, starting 1 October 2009.

Postpaid fixed to fixed off-peak* call rate to Angola was reduced to only N$1.55 a minute, while the peak hour rate is now N$2.20 a minute.

Postpaid fixed to mobile off-peak call rate to Angola was also cut to only N$1.99 a minute and the peak hour rate is now N$2.99 a minute.

This special offer, which only applies to customers who wish to call from a Telecom Namibia fixed line or Switch mobile phone in Namibia to both a fixed and mobile phone number in Angola, will be valid from the 1 October to 31 December, 2009.

Similarly, prepaid call rates to Angola were adjusted downwards by 28% to 46%.

The special discount rate represents significant savings for Telecom Namibia customers. By calling during the special off-peak rates period, Telecom Namibia customers can save up to 46% during off-peak hours on calls when compared to the normal off-peak calling charges for prepaid customers.

The latest cut in fixed to fixed and fixed to mobile call rates to Angola reflects Telecom Namibia's commitment to enable customers in Namibia to reach relatives and friends in Angola and talk more for less. Also, the special offer will certainly benefit businesses making calls to Angola on a regular basis.

Telecom Namibia is committed to offering reduced rates to our customers.

*The off peak hours for weekdays 19h00-7h00. Friday 19h00-Monday 07h00, and Public Holidays.

Just mention the name "Ohaiua", a village some 200 km north of Opuuo in the Epupa Constituency of the Kunene Region of Namibia, and it conjures images of an untamed African jungle.

Ohaiua is a beautiful and remote village on the banks of the Kunene River and is home to the Ovatua tribesmen. Situated on the foot of the majestic Omazoroue Mountains, the village is surrounded by dry rivers, which burst with life during the rainy season, natural water springs and palm trees.

Harsh conditions

A typical dwelling consists of small igloo-like structures made out of twigs and grass or palm leaves and a fireplace. Food is scarce. Children sit and wait patiently for what may be the only meal of the day. No livestock, no milk or meat.

The tribe shares a common culture and belief system as the Ovahimba ethnic group, but still remains prominently hunters and gatherers of wild fruits to date. Most of them live in the mountains and come down to plough and grow crops such as beans and mahangu when the rains come.

In spite of the harsh conditions in which they live, Ovatua tribesmen hold their traditional values with the utmost swollen pride, and can be considered as one of the most iconic brand of the 21st century. However, the tribe`s semi-nomadic pastoral traditions and ritualistic blood-drinking are in conflict with the modern world.

VSAT connection

Roads in Ohaiua are virtually non-existent - a vital, first step for this tribe in gaining access to much needed modern schools, health care facilities and economic opportunities.

There is no postal system, no telephones in the village, or even cell phone coverage. The only communications medium has been the "bush telegraph", messages transmitted via word of mouth by people travelling by foot or on horse back. The mountainous terrain presents barriers to easy deployment of phone services.

However, Telecom Namibia recently installed a satellite telephone service at the village, using the Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) system, a development that`s likely to help change their lives. A VSAT system offers multi-channel, toll quality telephone, fax and data services.

Given the area`s mountainous terrain, the VSAT technology was the most viable means of communications because satellite is more economical than other means of communications like cable and fibre optic, which are difficult, expensive and time consuming to deploy in such an area.

"So far we`re cut-off from other parts of the country. We`d to walk for a very long distance to Okanguati to make a call from a public phone. Now, with telephone connections and Internet services, we`re saved from all these trouble. I feel connected," said 19-year-old Uaundjaina Mbinge.

Telecom Namibia recognises that information and communication technology is the most effective way to counter the obstacles presented by the country`s geographic barriers, providing new methods of service delivery and introducing innovations that will create opportunities for economic and social development for all Namibians.

Life`s changing

Life is slowly changing for these tribesmen who`ve been wallowing in the bog of poverty for so many years. A resettlement programme was started to make the community live a more structured life, without which it would be hard for the Government to provide basic services. Government plans to sink boreholes, construct a clinic, school and identify cultivable lands for the immediate emancipation and empowerment of the tribe.

"It`s a wonderful project, and once again shows how much government intervention can achieve when not constrained by bureaucratic red tape," said Oiva Angula, Senior Manager of Corporate Communications and Public Relations at Telecom Namibia. "By connecting these villagers will bring them opportunities and services which were previously out of their reach," Angula said.

"I always have the question about how much benefit simple access brings, but the VSAT installation seems to have the back-end and support to make it truly worthwhile given the Government programme for the community," he added.

If one goes by official pronouncements, Government seems determined to improve the living conditions of the Ovatua community. And the satellite phone couldn`t have come at a better time for Ohaiua.

This village isn`t the first and the last to be connected. Telecom Namibia is connecting isolated villages and rural areas through wireless systems such as VSAT, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and Ultraphone.

"Ohaiua is a prime example of how wireless systems can bring advanced telecom services to rural villages and how Telecom Namibia is fulfilling its social responsibility," Angula concluded.

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