31 05 12 Airtel – More than one billion USD invested so far in Airtel’s network in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), further investments of USD 615 million planned
KINSHASA, Dem. Rep. of Congo (DRC) May 31, 2012/ — Airtel (http://www.airtel.com),
the largest telecom network in DRC, is the first operator to be visited
by the new Telecommunications & ICT Minister in the country – his
Excellency Tryphon Kin-Kiey MULUMBA. The visit was part of the newly
appointed Minister’s familiarization program to understand the realities
that the telecom operators are dealing with in the country. The
Democratic Republic of the Congo (French: République démocratique du
Congo), commonly referred to as DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa or the DRC, is a
country located in Central Africa. It is the largest country in sub
Saharan Africa by area since the accession of South Sudan as an
independent country and the eleventh largest in the world. With a
population of over 71 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is
the nineteenth most populous nation in the world, the fourth most
populous nation in Africa, as well as the most populous officially
Francophone country.
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The
Minister did not hide his satisfaction during his visit when he
discovered the level of investments made by the Number One telecom
network in DRC: More than a billion U.S. dollars has been invested in
the network over the years, and Airtel plans to invest an additional 615
million U.S. dollars over the next three years.
The
visit started with a working session at Airtel’s Headquarters with the
Exco Committee and HQ offices. Braving the rain with his delegation, he
then headed for the New Technical Centers-NTC- in Barumbu and Kingabwa
neighborhoods. It should be noted that all the buildings visited by the
new Minister are Airtel owned properties, which demonstrates the
long-term commitment of the largest phone operator in DRC, through these
key investments.
Commenting
on his visit, His Excellency Kin-Kiey MULUMBA said: “Our country is
very large and the potential is huge. Airtel is a big company, and the
investments made so far by Airtel in our country are amazing. We, as the
Government, are under the obligation to make available the essential
infrastructures to enable operators like Airtel and others to continue
investing in our country and improve the national coverage. "
"The
Government’s instructions are very clear as for an immediate sale of
the 3G license to telecom operators and completion of the Optical fiber
landing station. The Optical fiber question is a matter of priority for
the Government," he added.
Airtel
DRC Managing Director, Mr Antoine Pamboro, thanked the Minister for
this visit which allowed the new head of the telecom sector to interact
with Airtel’s team. The Minister and his delegation were impressed by
Airtel’s technical achievements. Whist 60% of the Congolese population
is covered, there is still a lot more potential. He also pointed out the
organizations commitment to youth education. To date, three schools in
Kinshasa, Kasai-Oriental and Bas-Congo benefit from Airtel’s adopt a
school program.
Airtel
has also expressed willingness to take up a 25 % participation of the
company to be set up to manage the Optical Fiber in the Democratic
Republic of Congo.
Airtel
has also joined an elite club of global brands by making it to this
year’s BrandZTop™ 100 Most Valuable Global Brands list. With an overall
ranking of 71 and brand value of USD 11.5 billion, Airtel has been
ranked ahead of top global brands such as Citi (82), Sony (86), MTN
(88), China Telecom (90), and Volkswagen (96).
Distributed by the African Press Organization on behalf of Bharti Airtel Limited.
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About Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited (http://www.airtel.com)
is a leading integrated telecommunications company with operations in
20 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India,
the company ranks amongst the top 5 mobile service providers globally in
terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings include
2G, 3G and 4G services, fixed line, high speed broadband through DSL,
IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international
long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it
offers 2G, 3G mobile services. Bharti Airtel had over 253 million
customers across its operations at the end of April 2012. To know more
please visit, http://www.airtel.com