(Ecofin Agency) - Telecom firm Gabon Telecom just purchased 44 power generators to keep its telecommunication network active as the country currently experiences repeated power outages. Acquiring this equipment is the second step in the group’s strategy to reinforce its network. Gabon Telecom’s director general, via Gabon Television, revealed that the firm had already invested about FCFA7 billion in the project.

At the end of its operation to reinforce its network, Gabon Telecom should have installed 84 generators, each able to last 10 to 15 years average. News website Gabon Review highlights that each of these devices has a soundproof no-break 13 kVA generator which automatically switches on when power is cut thus insuring that network remains active. In addition to these generators, the company plans to add 70 solar panels as well as solar-powered batteries to insure that most of its sites are energetically autonomous

Due to the various power cuts that Libreville and other parts of the country have been suffering, users of Gabon Telecom and Libertis have been struggling to communicate. Many complaints from unhappy users have in fact been addressed to the regulatory agency for post and electronic communication (ARCEP). Apart from troubling users, the outages which have been causing network to be unavailable are threatening the company’s earnings. Truly, services that cannot be accessed are less used.

Aware of the negative impact that these power outages have on the network, its users and the company, Abderrahim Koumaa said the equipment acquired by Gabon Telecom would help “improve the quality of service (…) GSM service, notably communication which depends on power source and its availability”.