Guinea-Bissau: Guinea Telecom and Guinetel once again obtained a license to operate telecoms networks
September 26th 2021
Six years after their bankruptcy by the government, the incumbent operator and its mobile branch are resurrected. Their return is announced on a telecoms market where MTN and Orange have had time to establish themselves firmly.
The incumbent telecommunications operator Guinee Telecom SA will soon return to the Guinea-Bissau telecoms market. Tuesday, September 21, he officially received from the Minister of Transport and Communications, Augusto Gomes, the license that will allow him to carry out network activities, fixed telecom service provider and infrastructure operator throughout the national territory. .
The ceremony followed that of September 14, during which its mobile branch Guinetel was also awarded a single individual license by the Board of Directors of the National Authority for the Regulation of Information and Communication Technologies. (RNA-TIC).
Augusto Gomes explained that the return of public companies to the national telecoms market reflects the state’s desire for sovereignty in telecommunications, particularly with regard to the security of communications and national data.
In 2014, the companies Guinée Telecom and Guinetel were bankrupted by the government following several years of poor financial health. In a market open to competition since 2003, the two companies were struggling to grow in the face of strong competition from MTN and Orange.
In 2015, an interministerial commission dedicated to relaunching the two public companies was set up. It had also benefited from funding from the West African Development Bank (BOAD) and the World Bank to carry out the technical and financial studies necessary for a return to the market. Augusto Gomes promised, for the next few days, the approval of the specifications and then the launch of an international call for tenders for the selection of a partner who will help to make companies more profitable.
Beyond state sovereignty in telecommunications, the government’s desire to resuscitate Guinea Telecom and Guinetel also stems from its desire to take advantage of the many opportunities that are developing in the sector. They could be sources of additional revenue for the public treasury.
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