Yemeni mobile provider Y-Tel – which also uses the Y-GSM brand – has completed what it claims is the first mobile video call in the country over its 4G network, which is currently being developed by Digis Squared; a system integration, managed services and consultancy firm. In a statement from Digis Squared, the company noted that the call marked a milestone in the cellco’s ongoing network transformation programme which looks to replace the provider’s existing legacy 2G network with a 5G-ready LTE system. Commenting on the upgrade, Digis COO Ahmed Zein explained: ‘Digis Squared have completely replaced and upgraded the legacy infrastructure, entirely transforming the capability, stability and capacity available, and delivered every element of this network for Y-Tel.’ The firm began work on the project 18 months ago and was tasked with ‘everything from the entire network planning and design, through to vendor selection, end-to-end radio on-site rollout, network core infrastructure implementation and integration, through to network go-live, and operations’.
The network overhaul for Y-Tel is part of the provider’s reconstruction efforts. TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database notes that Y-Tel is one of several companies operating in Yemen that have been divided by the ongoing civil war, with operations in the territories of the respective Aden and Sana’a-based administrations continuing with similar brand identities but under the control of different entities. In the case of Y-Tel/Y-GSM, the company moved its headquarters to Aden with the intention of launching 4G mobile services, with the support of new investors and a new 4G licence from the Aden-based government. Separately, meanwhile, the Houthi administration in Sana’a claimed that the cellco was relaunched within their territory with a new management team following its bankruptcy in March 2020.
Regarding the 4G rollout, Digis Squared notes that the new network is being constructed in parallel to the legacy 2G system and will initially provide coverage of Aden before a phased national deployment.
Source: https://www.commsupdate.com/articles/2022/06/22/y-tel-completes-first-video-call-over-4g-network/