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Sudan Tribune

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South Sudan government suspends work of telecom companies

March 21, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The government of South Sudan (GoSS) notified telecom companies that it will temporarily suspend their work while they issue new regulations governing their operations in the region that is set to become independent next July.

zain.jpgHesham Mustafa Allam, chief operation officer for Zain, largest mobile phone operator in Sudan, told Reuters that this decision could force them to delay some work on cell towers and laying of fibre-optics.

Though he expected the company’s mobile license to be valid in South Sudan after July, Allam said he could not be “100 percent sure” that would be the case either.

The South Sudan government last week accused the North of tapping the phones of its senior through telecom companies officials and produced documents to prove that. However, the Khartoum-based government denied the charge.

Zain launched its network in South Sudan five years ago and in 2008 launched a major expansion initiative that saw growth in towers from a handful to around 150 with a total cost of $300 million. This was made despite logistical challenges and the lack of information on the profitability of the market in a region that is just emerging from a two-decades civil war.

The company’s move south is key after losing its lion’s share of Sudan’s market in 2007 to fierce competition in the rest of the country from the part-government owned operator Sudani.

“For Zain, the decision to rollout in South Sudan was purely a strategic decision; it was not a business decision, because at that time we had Zain Uganda and Zain Kenya and so to have one network you couldn’t have it without South Sudan,” he said.

“[Having] said this, we believe there is opportunity in South Sudan. We will not say South Sudan is not good for business. There’s still opportunity for business in South Sudan when things start to stabilize and infrastructure is there.”

(ST)

18 Comments

  • Historical Boy!
    Historical Boy!

    South Sudan government suspends work of telecom companies
    What is going on with these companies?

    Reply
  • Madina Kebir
    Madina Kebir

    South Sudan government suspends work of telecom companies
    I think this is a good move for GOSS and ROSS to suspending the telecommunication companies for good. African people did welcome the Middle East Traders in the 180s thought they were coming only to do their businesss which some African thought was a good Idea unfortunately, that was not the case for Middle East Traders, but for them to takes over governments from real African people and now, we have lost about 2.5 million lives innocents people in the Sudan as a result of Arab Traders were they root caused in Sudan and others African nations.

    If the GOSS want to starting rebuilding its Southern Sudan young nation then, they must make their business with Asian people, why because they don’t make interference to the Foreign affairs and that is the good way to trust people who only focusing one thing and good friendship, but this people are same as Arab of Northern Sudan which have mess up the Sudan and the real question I have right now is that, why Southern Sudan were foolishly accepted them in the first place.?

    Reply
  • Liberator
    Liberator

    South Sudan government suspends work of telecom companies
    GOSS

    Welcome to the 21st century.
    The so called tapping of phones is not a new technology, it has been in existence in the last half of the 20th century.

    What a bunch of idiots running (GOSS)

    Reply
  • Murle Intellectual
    Murle Intellectual

    South Sudan government suspends work of telecom companies
    Another foolish decision by GoSS. The first was when they have gone too far with their tribalism and nepotism based process to employ people, they invited their corrupt Kenyan friends to occupy South Sudanese joas after all their ralatives were saturating GoSS. To prove this just visit any GoSS office, you will find them belonging to the same tribe of Dinka and therefore they Dinka Language in that offices. The Nuers deserve their positions there and they could provide a better leadership because a brave man by nature is just. They don’t kill patients belonging to other tribes on hospital beds, such cowardly actions are done only by Cowards Majority which happened in Bor town hospital. The second foolish step by GoSS is the shutting down of communication for fear of useless jallaaba. These jallaabas are now toothless dogs. This decision could only be taken by a foolish ignorant man, and those who agree with him are identical. This is a step backwards from development. [email protected]

    Reply
  • Thomas Andrew Hissen
    Thomas Andrew Hissen

    South Sudan government suspends work of telecom companies
    GOSS first you can suspeds all the telecom that operate in this region, ZAIR, MTN, VIVACELL, GEMTEL, SUDANI,simple because on the 9 of July 2011 we are going to have our nations code not longer using for the north sudan,

    Next the government of south Sudan should address the reason that why Gemtel is operating here in south Sudan with Ugadan code and they are paid taxation to the government of Ugandan becasue of using Uganda code why

    The government of south should first dipatch these Gemtel company to go back and operate in Uganda even the government is get nothing on the company otherwise they should change the country code,

    All this company who are link wityh the North they have sent back their staff and the south should employed their own southernes who are searching for Job, not arab should operate this company like MTN ZAIN, this Jalaba are get data from this people of south sudan later on they send to khartoum

    Reply
  • marie
    marie

    South Sudan government suspends work of telecom companies
    This is a move to get rid of the competitors of Vivacell which is owned by some of the bosses in GOSS

    Reply
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