Angola’s Ministry of Telecommunications & Information Technology (Ministerio das Telecomunicacoes e Technologias de Informacao, MTTI) released a statement yesterday confirming the government’s selection of Africell Holding to receive the country’s fourth Unified Global operating licence, permitting infrastructure-based mobile, internet, fixed telephony and pay-TV services, which was first announced in May. The Interministerial Working Group reached its final decision ‘after a thorough analysis and evaluation process of the proposal documents presented, considering the observations made by the Evaluation Committee,’ the latter having concluded that ‘Africell’s proposal responded satisfactorily to the requirements of the [tender], as well as to the interests of the Angolan State, and is expected to bring transversal benefits to all economic sectors of the country, as well as for the population in general and will be a relevant factor for international projection and for the continuous capture of relevant foreign direct investments for Angola.’
The MTTI added that after the conclusion of negotiations on final terms, Africell will be granted its national licence and will enter into a concession contract with the telecoms regulator, Angolan Institute of Communications (Instituto Angolano das Comunicacoes, INACOM).
Angola’s mobile market is currently a duopoly of Unitel and Movicel, while state-backed fixed line operator Angola Telecom holds the third Unified Global licence and is planning a mobile launch in partnership with Egyptian-backed Angorascom, TeleGeography notes. Lebanese-backed, UK-headquartered Africell operates mobile networks in Gambia, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.