Information and Communication Technology Minister Emma Theofelus emphasised the importance of digital literacy in preventing risks associated with online activity. 

The minister was speaking at the regional engagement on ICT development in Otjozondjupa.

Compared to other regions, Otjozondjupa boasts robust telecommunications coverage. While this is good, Teofelus said that digital literacy needs to be practised at all times to lessen scams. 

"We need to be careful and avoid sharing personal information. Keep your information as close as possible. It is important to protect your personal information, just as you would not leave your house or cars unlocked. You know you need to lock it. If you have a password on your alarm system in your home office, ensure it remains private, just as with online interactions. We are at risk of being targeted by criminals, so we must take the necessary steps to protect our devices and the data and information stored on them."

According to Tuhafeni Erastus, Site Sharing and Network Development Coordinator at MTC, they are the largest service provider with 1,050 network towers and about 98% voice coverage nationwide.

"We have invested heavily in the fibre network across the country. We are almost at, in fact over, 4000 km of fibre across the country. You can see that we are making significant efforts to ensure the country is connected, and not only connected but also improving the overall experience."

Thabitha Nehale, the engineer for Radio Access Network at Telecom Namibia, said the company has 45 sites in Otjozondjupa, with 23 equipped with 4G.

"Rolling out a network is not an easy task; we have different challenges that you encounter on a daily basis, such as the very high cost of implementation and building and rolling out towers, and this is a major challenge for us, especially for Telecom Namibia, because we are still busy building, and hence we encounter a lot of challenges."

Putting up a tower is an expensive exercise, costing on average two million dollars. 

Access to land for tower erection is, however, a challenge, and where land is not available, the network providers shift their plans to other regions where land is accessible.