Sierra Leone Telecommunications Company (SIERRATEL), has agreed to install 20 landline phones for the Sierra Leone Police (SLP), as part of a pilot phase for the one month free landline phones’ promotion.
SIERRATEL launched a promotion for the advanced landline phones on 8th July, 2019 and users’ responses have been so far positive.
At a symbolic presentation ceremony in SIERRATEL’s office on Wallace Johnson Street in Freetown, on Monday, 22nd July, 2019, Head of SLP’s Communications, Superintendent Sheku Bahja Koroma, said the landline phones came at a time when the SLP is planning to overhaul its communications system.
“Having gone through the benefits of the recently launched SIERRATEL landline phones, we realised that they would be very instrumental for our operational needs. Our institution is highly decentralised and these phones would help us a lot to reach out to our personnel and rapidly respond in a case of emergency,” he said.
He said SLP has a national emergency call centre with the code 112 at Kingtom in Freetown, adding that SIERRATEL should install its landline phones there so as to smoothen SLP’s operation.
“We have over 50 locations that we want these landline phones to be installed but we appreciate the 20 landlines that you have agreed to give us as a pilot phase. Such goodwill gesture from a national telecoms company gears towards national development and we are very grateful,” he said.
SIERRATEL’s Chief Commercial Officer, Yusiph Bockarie, said the rollout of the landline phones is a pilot phase for one month, noting that the SLP is one of the institutions that SIERRATEL has earmarked to benefit from the services.
“These landline phones are not the traditional ones you used to know. They come with high speed internet services as an added value. As a state-owned company, we decided to introduce fixed lines with ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) system to cater for all segment of customers,” he said.
He disclosed that SIERRATEL initially decided to dole out only seven landline phones to the police but because of the increasing demands, 20 phones would now be given to them.
He said many institutions have made request for the landline phones to be installed, adding that plans are underway to do the installation for them soonest.
SIERRATEL’s Marketing Director, Albert Bangura-Will, said SLP is a strategic partner to SIERRATEL and they are always willing to render their services to them.
He said the landline phones are safely stable and would be very important for a security body like the police.
“Data connectivity is at the forefront of the landline phone package. This gives leverage for the users to enjoy an internet connectivity,” he said.
