South Africa payphone firm to operate in Ethiopia, Sudan
Dec 20, 2005 (NAIROBI) — After its success in the East African market, leading South African payphone maker Psitek Ltd is headed for Ethiopia and Sudan, the east African reported.
According to the firm’s regional head, Richard Lord, Psitek will start operating in the two countries by June next year. “We hope to launch in Ethiopia and Sudan by mid next year. All we are waiting for is clearance by telecommunications regulators in the two countries who must certify that our phones are up to standard.
“We are also in the process of negotiating tariffs with relevant service providers. We want tariffs that will allow as many people as possible to make phone calls,” Lord said.
He said the company has spent heavily in getting approvals and organising exhibitions for its products. But the biggest expense is expected when the company starts operating in those countries.
When it finally launches its services in the two countries, Psitek will have a presence in 17 African countries. Currently, its products are sold in 15 African countries. These include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Algeria, Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and South Africa where its headquarters are based. Some of these countries are members of the South African Development Corporation (SADC).
Psitek, which was started 15 years ago in South Africa, has three regional offices – Nigeria (West Africa), Egypt (North Africa) and Kenya (Eastern and Central Africa). But it is the Kenya-based regional office, which was opened in October last year, that has registered the most growth.
“We are buoyed by the fact that both Ethiopia and Sudan are emerging markets in the region. We hope to make an impact with our products,” says Vincent Mutavi, Psitek’s country manager in charge of Kenya and Tanzania.
Mutavi added: “We already have working relationships in Ethiopia and Sudan, but we have not rolled out yet until we get the final certificate, which is supposed to come from regulatory bodies in those countries.”
(The East African/ST)