Major Telecom Operators To Serve in Africa and Middle East

Africa is booming and many major companies are eyeing the continent for investment and enhancement. According to sources, seven major telecom operators across Africa and Middle East, inclusive of Vodafone Group and Bharti Airtel would be sharing their network infrastructure with an aim to provide Internet to rural communities and decreasing the price of mobile services. Global telecom body GSM Association (GSMA) stated, “senior leaders from seven major mobile operator groups, serving 506 million customers across Africa and the Middle East, plan to cooperate on network infrastructure sharing initiatives."

The contributing seven operators comprise of Etisalat Group, Bharti Airtel, MTN Group, Orange, Vodafone Group, Ooredoo Group and Zain Group. GSMA Director General Anne Bouverot asserted, "Unique mobile subscriber penetration is only 40 percent in Africa and the Middle East, lower than the global average of 47 percent, so we need to work together to expand the reach of mobile."

Meanwhile, in 47 countries of Africa and the Middle East, where many of the unconnected population live in rural areas, the operators mutually manage 76 mobile network operations across it. Also, as stated by Bharti Enterprises MD and Chair of the Public Policy Committee of the GSMA board, Manoj Kohli, the cooperation validates that the industry is dedicated to revolutionizing in regard to serve the billions living in the rural areas."