Niël Terblanché
Residents of Omuthiya and neighbouring villages will soon no longer need to travel long distances for mobile network services, as MTC prepares to open its 37th Mobile Home in the country.
For years, Omuthiya residents have been reliant on a mobile van that visits the town twice a week.
With limited access to services, many were forced to make the 83-kilometre journey to Ondangwa or even further to Tsumeb, some 130 kilometres away, for assistance with SIM replacements, registrations, contract renewals, and other MTC-related services.
MTC’s corporate communications practitioner, Erasmus Nekundi, confirmed that plans are well advanced to establish a permanent branch in the Oshikoto regional capital.
“Due to a fast-growing population of Omuthiya, business has resolved that it’s high time that the capital town of Oshikoto region gets its own permanent Mobile Home, which will be serving not just the town but also the adjacent villages,” Nekundi said in a statement issued this week.
He explained that the move is in line with the company’s objective to bring services closer to the people.
“This decentralisation is a customer-centred move—an execution of our drive and belief that every MTC customer deserves easy access to our services,” he added.
According to the 2023 census, Omuthiya’s total population stands at 39 855, with roughly 7 500 people living in the urban part of town.
Its population growth and status as a regional capital prompted the decision to permanently base a Mobile Home in the area.
The new Mobile Home is expected to open in mid-July and will provide the full suite of services available at any MTC outlet.
Resident Gabriel Tomas welcomed the development, saying it was long overdue.
“As the capital of the Oshikoto region, Omuthiya deserves a lot of developmental activities, and providing a Mobile Store will be an integral part of development,” he said.
Omuthiya is not just a rural town but a gateway for many Namibians heading to the north.
“Having a Mobile Home here will solve many issues that the community has an interest in, such as connectivity information, replacement and registration of SIM cards, and just ease of communication and access to the services,” Tomas said.
