Airtel gets 2G, 3G licences in Rwanda, announces $100m investment for expansion

Indian-based telecoms company, Bharti Airtel, has been awarded licenses to operate 2G and 3G mobile services in Rwanda.

In view of this, the company has announced it will invest $100 million into the Rwandan telecoms industry to provide the service and expand it.

“We will work with the government to bring affordable and best in class mobile services that add value to the lives of people of Rwanda and contribute towards bridging the digital divide in the country,” said Sunil Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel in a statement cited by the India news agency, Press Trust of India and published by Hindustan Times September 10, 2011.

“Rwanda is a key telecoms market with immense growth potential and will strengthen Bharti Airtel’s footprint in East Africa,” Mittal said.

The publication further quoted Ignace Gatare, Rwandan Minister in the President’s Office in Charge of ICT as saying “We are entering an exciting era in telecommunications in Rwanda, which entails bringing advanced broadband wireless services at more competitive prices and allowing more people in rural areas to access mobile technology.”

Rwanda is amongst the fastest growing telecoms markets in Africa and according to statistics from the National Statistics Institute of Rwanda,  mobile penetration in the country was 38.4% as of July 2011.

Bharti Airtel bought the assets of Zain in Africa for a record sum of $10.7 billion in June 2010. The World Bank described the deal as one of the largest global acquisitions of that year.

By Ekow Quandzie