Overview
GAMTEL was established in March 1984 under the Companies Act of 1955. It was set up as a Private Limited Liability Company. GAMTEL took over the provision of national and international telecommunications services from Cable and Wireless and the Government Telecommunications Department.
GAMTEL is a legal monopoly in the provision of fixed line telecommunications services, with two shareholders the Gambia Government with 3.7 million shares (98.4%) and the Gambia National Insurance Company (GNIC) with 60,000 shares (1.6%). The ownership still remains the same but the structure in terms of percentage has changed. Today the company has an authorized share capital of D60 million (6 million shares valued at D10 per share), issued and fully paid up, with the Gambia Government owning 99% and GNIC 1%.

In 1995, the company took over the running of Radio Gambia and in 1996 set up the Television Station with most of the financing coming from Societe Generale in the form of a loan. These two entities are now known as the Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS). GRTS was hived away from GAMTEL in 2000 and is now a legal entity.

Gamtel is the primary provider of telecommunications services in the Gambia. The company is a state owned, limited liability company, with the Gambia government owning 99% of shares and Gambia National Insurance Company (GNIC) owning 1% of shares. The Company has steadily created a modern efficient network infrastructure, using state-of -the -art technology in order to respond to the increasing demand of a dynamic market.

Gamtel has grown swiftly into one of Gambia's leading enterprises recording an annual turnover of D417.8 million for the year ending 2001 and expecting an estimated figure of D419million for the year ending 2002.

During the eighteen years of operations Gamtel have achieved and hit countless number of targets. Among its latest ventures was the introduction of integrated service digital network (ISDN), virtual private network (VPN), Internet Service Provider (ISP), electronic banking (E-BANKING) and still on the pipeline is electronic education (E-LEARNING) and electronic commerce (E-COMMERCE).
Gamtel has also introduced a very attractive COOPERATE WELFARE SCHEME covering medical, travel insurance, pensions, injury compensation, staff loans, and a credit union which function as a cooperative savings bank by providing facilities and access to loans with very reasonable interest rates.

Internet services

Virtual Private Network (VPN)
VPN allows two or more private networks to be connected over a publicly accessed net. The key feature of VPN is that they are able to use public networks. At the same time VPNs have security and encryption features, while taking the advantage of economies of scale and remote accessibility of large public networks.
Banks and government Institutions can benefit from this service by having all their offices connected on a network and have access to relevant up to the minute information.
" VPN is cost effectiveness, what more could one ask for if you can have a decent and perfect service and save money at the same time.
" We have a separate VPN network that ensures maximum security and speed as it is neither congested nor connected to the Internet.

Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line
- High speed data transfer
- Access to remote databases
- Access to specialised networks
- Interactive video (video games, etc.)
- Higher picture resolution
- Always-on, no need for dial-up
- Real-time email, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What is ADSL?

A: ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. It is a technology that allows normal copper telephone wires (sometimes known as a twisted pair) to provide a Broadband service.

Q: What is broadband?

A: Broadband is a generic term meaning that the connection referred to has the capacity to transmit large amounts of data at a high speed. When connected to the internet, this allows information to be transferred much faster than a conventional modem or narrowband connection.

Q: Will there be a product for home use and business use?

A: Yes, there are two types of ADSL Services:

Hendu : This is suitable for home use and SOHOs

Melah : This is suitable for corporations and medium-sized businesses.

Q: Will I have to buy a separate ASDL modem or router?

A: Yes. For single computer connections, a modem is needed. For multiple computer connections, a router is needed.

Q: What sort of connection does my computer need?

A: With the modem, you need a USB Port and with the router, you will need an Ethernet Port.

Q: What is the minimum specification for my computer?

A: It is recommended that your computer have at least a Pentium 3 processor and 128 megs of RAM.

Q: Is distance a problem?

A: Yes. The service can only be given to customers within a 3km radius of the Telecoms exchange.

Q: What is contention ratio?

A: Bandwidth across the Gamtel Network is shared amongst users. The degree of sharing is called the contention ratio.
Q: Do I have to have a new line for this service?

A: No. ADSL will run on top of your existing telephone line, which will continue to be billed as normal. A separate broadband connection and rental charge will apply for the extra equipment we require to provide the service.

Q: Will my normal telephone work as usual?

A: Yes, ADSL runs ‘on top’ of your normal telephone, so you can make voice calls and send faxes as usual at the same time as surfing the internet.

Q: Is Broadband better than ISDN?

A: Not necessarily. Broadband can run faster than ISDN, but it is shared, whereas ISDN is a point to point dial-up connection with a constant speed. Generally, ISDN has a smaller bandwidth, whilst ADSL has a larger bandwidth and offers higher picture resolution. Thus one can send things faster with ADSL than ISDN but the usage depends on the volume of data transfer generally required.

Q: What about security?

A: To get announced to the internet, you must log on using your user name and password. However, once you are connected you are effectively available to the world – even if you have a dynamic IP address. You are thus encouraged to install a firewall.

For further assistance, please call 422-5262 or 121.

Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN)
ISDN is a system of digital phone connections, which allows data to be transmitted simultaneously across the world using end-to-end digital connectivity. It travels eight to ten times faster than the today's modem. ISDN allows multiple digital channels to be operated simultaneously through the same regular phone used for analog lines.
Therefore nothing will change in the physical wiring but a digital signal will be needed, thus it takes an ISDN line half the time it takes an analog line to convey the same call and this improves response for interactive applications, such as games. With ISDN one line can be used for multiple devices where as before separate lines were needed for each device and one can be using all devices connected to one line at the same time.

All the above facilities attributed to analogue subscribers are available for digital (ISDN) subscriber. However additional facilities are also available for ISDN Subscriber.

Dial Up Internet
This is the basic Internet connection rendered to all customers. With a dialup connection, one gets access to the internet to search fro information and send and receive mails.

Contact Information 
Gambia Telecommunications Company Ltd.
Gamtel House, 3 Nelson Mandela Street
Banjul, The Gambia
West Africa.
Telephone: +220 4229999
Fax: +220 4228004
Telex: 2207 GAMTEL GV
Email: gen-info@gamtel.gm
www.gamtel.gm