File photo shows Namibians visit the smart phone exhibition of Huawei in Windhoek, Namibia. (Xinhua/Gao Lei)

WINDHOEK, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Namibia telecommunications company MTC said Wednesday over 500 new network towers will be built in mainly rural Namibia through a project to bridge urban-rural digital divide.

The 081Every1 project, expected to be completed in 2019, will see villages, settlements and outlying areas serviced with 3G technology, said Tim Ekandjo, MTC Chief Human Capital and Corporate Affairs Officer.

081Every1 is a 104-million-U.S.-dollar project officially launched in July 2017 with the aim of realizing Namibia's 100-percent population network coverage goal.

Ekandjo said MTC has appointed over 40 Namibian companies as contracting partners to the project.

"The 081Every1 project will be a catalyst for change to accelerate the development of rural areas in the country," he said.