Surfline up for Africa Comm. Awards in South Africa

Two months after launch, Surfline is up for honors at this year’s edition of the Africa Communications Awards, scheduled to take place on the 12th of November, 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Surfline has been shortlisted for the award in the ‘Breakthrough LTE Development’ category for successfully deploying the first 4G LTE network in Ghana and the single largest 4G LTE deployment in Africa.

Described as the digital industry’s most anticipated awards event in Africa, the seventh Africa Communications Awards will focus on innovation and celebrate businesses that are leading the way in breaking new fronts in technology, within their markets and the continent at large.

Surfline is the first LTE operator in Ghana. It started after others like Yomy and Smile had launched on the continent. But Surfline took off with 220 cell sites across Accra and Tema, which is by far the largest LTE infrastructure deployment on the continent till date.

The company has also obtained bandwidth from two submarine fibre vendors, Main One and Glo 1, and is working on obtaining more bandwidth from a third vendor in order to ensure enough redundancy. It employed the services of leading global players such as Tech Mahindra, IBM, Oracle and Alcatel Lucent as its technology partners to ensure Ghanaians got world class quality in data services.

Speaking on the awards, Chief Executive Officer of Surfline, Dr. Yaw Akoto said “we are excited that our drive and efforts to redefine the data experience in Ghana is already being acknowledged in just a little over two months after launch. This recognition will bolster our efforts to shape technology and ICT in Ghana and the rest of the continent eventually”.

The other categories for recognition at this year’s awards are the Best App for Africa, Best connectivity Solutions for Africa, Best cost efficiency solution for Africa, Best device for Africa, Best Marketing Campaign, Best Mobile Money Service, Best Network Improvement, Best Pan African initiative, Changing Lives Award, Excellence in Customer Experience Management, Most Innovative Service and VSAT Innovations for Africa.

Surfline is the first mobile telecoms operator to pioneer an LTE network in Ghana. The company is also the only telecoms operator 100% owned by Ghanaians.

Surfline was established in Ghana in 2011 and provides Ghana’s fastest mobile internet service to consumers and businesses in the Greater Accra region.