TELECOMS
Viettel-backed Movitel has officially switched on its network in Mozambique.
Movitel becomes the country’s third mobile operator, aiming to recruit up to 2 million subscribers in its first year of operation.
The telco is a joint venture between Vietnamese Viettel Group and Mozambique’s SPI Co. The network began operations at the beginning of this month, and reports that it already has over 400,000 subscribers, despite the fact that it has not yet launched a marketing campaign.
Viettel says it is pumping over USD400 million into its new operation, and has rolled out 1,800 mobile base transceiver stations (BTS) and 12,600km of fibre-optic cable to cover 105 of the 128 districts in Mozambique so far.
The company will continue to grow its infrastructure, aiming to install around 4,500 BTS 2G and 3G BTS 1200 to ensure nationwide coverage, including regional and remote areas.
Movitel is also building distribution channels throughout the country and promising to deliver free internet access to 4,200 schools.
