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| toubab1020 |
Posted - 30 Apr 2019 : 22:21:29
By Muhammed S. Bah April 30, 2019
Subject to approval, Senegalese telecommunication giant Sonatel, is set to enter the Gambian market.
Sonatel has announced in a press release that it has entered into an agreement for the acquisition of 91.6% of the share capital of XOOM Wireless. The agreements obtained however, are said to be subject to approval by Gambian authorities.
XOOM Wireless is said to hold an Internet Service Provider (ISP) licence in the Gambia, and offers a full spectrum of high-speed wireless packages including VOIP and other hosting services in the country.
According to the Sonatel press release, the acquisition is said to be carried out in partnership with Teranga Capital, which will hold a minority stake in the Company and that through this acquisition, Sonatel will strengthen its leading position in the telecommunication sector in West Africa.
The agreements obtained are subject to approval by the Gambian authorities. The process is still ongoing according to Kalifa Faal from XOOM Wireless. He further disclosed that they are given deliverables to submit to the Government through the regulatory body PURA and the Ministry of Information and Communication. He said they are almost ready with the deliverables which he said are expected to be submitted to the said authorities for final approval.
Mr. Faal in his opinion claims that this project will boost Gambia’s internet capacity, and will enhance quality, access and will be cheaper. He said this will bring up a vibrant competing market in the internet sector which is good for the country.
He cited that Gambians over the years have been struggling with access and affordable internet.
In addition to its market share in Senegal, growth operations have allowed Sonatel to market shares in four countries: Mali, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone.
The Sonatel Group offers global telecommunication solutions in the areas of fixed telephony, mobile, internet, television, mobile money and data service to individuals and businesses.
Teranga Capital is an impact Investment Company dedicated to financing and supporting of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups, with high growth potential in Senegal and the Gambia. Its objective is to provide an innovative solution to meet the financing needs of these Companies between 50 and 300 million CFA.
Teranga Capital provides equity financing and becomes a minority shareholder of SMEs over a time horizon of five years.
http://foroyaa.gm/new-telecom-company-set-to-enter-gambian-market/ |
| 1 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| toubab1020 |
Posted - 03 May 2019 : 22:19:45
"The agreements obtained, however, are said to be subject to approval by Gambian authorities." Well that a Big surprise isnt it ? 
----------------------------------------------------------------------By Yankuba Jallow May 3, 2019
Gambian internet service providers have reacted to Sonatel’s deal to enter the Gambian market through partnering with Xoom Wireless.
Foroyaa engaged local internet service providers as well as cellular companies about the issue.
Lamin Fofana Marketing and Communication Manager of Gamcel said the Gambia has a small market with lots of providers.
“The market is saturated with players,” adding, “A new company or provider is not needed, what is needed is to invest in the current players to upgrade from maybe from 2G to 3 or 4G,” he said.
He said the government should invest in the telecom sector like they are doing with the energy and other sectors. This, he said, is important in order to boost the capacity of the local service providers thereby promoting efficiency in their service delivery.
Musa Sise, a communication specialist of the Africell Company Ltd said as a business, Africell is ready for competition in providing affordable and better services to consumers. He said, “The Gambia has many internet service providers such as Netpage, Quantum Net, Lasting Solution and others that are all doing very good in providing better services to their customers.”
“We are ready to compete and we are ready for business,” he said.
Sise opined that the local providers could have been supported to provide efficient service delivery to the consumers. He said that the coming in of the Senegalese Sonatel is an investment for them and they would be profit oriented.
“As providers, we don’t see their coming as necessary looking at the market space we have in The Gambia,” he said.
Sonatel is set to enter the Gambian market. Sonatel has announced in a press release that it has entered into an agreement for the acquisition of 91.6% of the share capital of XOOM Wireless. The agreements obtained, however, are said to be subject to approval by Gambian authorities.
Mr. Kalifa Faal of Sonatel in his opinion claims that this project will boost Gambia’s internet capacity, and will enhance quality and access and will be cheaper. He said this will bring up a vibrant competing market in the internet sector which is good for the country.
Speaking to private citizens, most of them said this is not a good idea, adding that those people are here for investment and are profit oriented.
“They don’t have anything to lose. They are here to make profit,” one Modou Jobe told Foroyaa.
They opined that the government should empower the local providers so that the quality of the internet service in the Gambia could improve.
“How can our local providers improve when you have foreign investors doing the same thing?” one Siaka Jarju said, “adding that the local providers are doing the service based on their means.”
Other people who talked to Foroyaa said the provision of the internet service is never cheap and therefore, the local providers are doing this expensive services based on their little resources. They said the coming of the foreign company would provide stiff competition on the local providers where the weak ones may close.
http://foroyaa.gm/internet-service-providers-react-to-sonatels-coming-to-gambia/
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