Telecom Namibia seals deal to enter Angola

TELECOM Namibia yesterday officially announced its entry into the budding Angolan telecommunications market, with the acquisition of a 44 per cent stake in Mundo Startel.

The deal, which was sealed in Luanda on Wednesday, will see Telecom invest US$14 million (N$91 million) over three years. Mundo Startel will enter a market still recovering from the ravages of war where current telecommunications provider, Angola Telecom, has experienced expansion difficulties, head of the Telecom Namibia negotiations team, Wessel van der Vyver, said.Four additional licences have been issued.Wesatel, Telicel and Mundo Startel are setting themselves up to begin operations, he said.Angola has close to 18 million people.The other 56 per cent of the Mundo Startel is owned by private concerns in Angola, namely Mundo Telecommunications, Banco Commercial Angolano, Jembas Technical Assistance Lda, Manuel Joao Carneiro and Nazare de Jesus Fransisco.”The operating company, Mundo Startel’s headquarters will be situated in Luanda.It will be governed by a board of directors consisting of four directors from the Angolan side and three directors from Telecom Namibia.Manual Carneiro (head of Mundo Telecommunications) has been elected as the Chairman of the board,” said Titus Haimbili, Chairman of Telecom.Telecom MD, Frans Ndoroma, said the venture, “will be a free-standing company structure with its own managing director, technical manager and financial manager who will be drawn from Telecom Namibia and designated to the Angolan operations for a period of five years.Other managers for the company will be provided from the Angola side”.Van der Vyver said Mundo Startel will start with a network roll-out plan in line with the licensing requirements which will cover Luanda and Lobito province in the first year and spread through the other provinces to cover the whole country within two years.The company is expected to employ 70 Angolans, he added.Ndoroma said that due to Angola’s challenging geography the new company will concentrate on installing next generation networks, VSAT and wireless digital technology instead of digging ditches and putting up telephone poles.Ndoroma also explained that this venture signified the first step in Telecom Namibia’s strategic intent to penetrate the SADC market.Mundo Startel will enter a market still recovering from the ravages of war where current telecommunications provider, Angola Telecom, has experienced expansion difficulties, head of the Telecom Namibia negotiations team, Wessel van der Vyver, said.Four additional licences have been issued.Wesatel, Telicel and Mundo Startel are setting themselves up to begin operations, he said.Angola has close to 18 million people.The other 56 per cent of the Mundo Startel is owned by private concerns in Angola, namely Mundo Telecommunications, Banco Commercial Angolano, Jembas Technical Assistance Lda, Manuel Joao Carneiro and Nazare de Jesus Fransisco.”The operating company, Mundo Startel’s headquarters will be situated in Luanda.It will be governed by a board of directors consisting of four directors from the Angolan side and three directors from Telecom Namibia.Manual Carneiro (head of Mundo Telecommunications) has been elected as the Chairman of the board,” said Titus Haimbili, Chairman of Telecom.Telecom MD, Frans Ndoroma, said the venture, “will be a free-standing company structure with its own managing director, technical manager and financial manager who will be drawn from Telecom Namibia and designated to the Angolan operations for a period of five years.Other managers for the company will be provided from the Angola side”.Van der Vyver said Mundo Startel will start with a network roll-out plan in line with the licensing requirements which will cover Luanda and Lobito province in the first year and spread through the other provinces to cover the whole country within two years.The company is expected to employ 70 Angolans, he added.Ndoroma said that due to Angola’s challenging geography the new company will concentrate on installing next generation networks, VSAT and wireless digital technology instead of digging ditches and putting up telephone poles.Ndoroma also explained that this venture signified the first step in Telecom Namibia’s strategic intent to penetrate the SADC market.