Local company clinches second Sudan GSM license for 150 million euros

KHARTOUM, Oct 26 (AFP) — An Arab-owned company has won the right to build Sudan’s second mobile phone network and operate it over a period of 15 years, by paying 150 million euros (177 million dollars) to the government, the official SUNA news agency said Sunday.

Bashair Telecom is based in Sudan, said the agency, without identifying the Arab investors who own it.

It signed a contract here Saturday with the government’s Telecommunication Corporation that provides for construction start in six months.

The previous network was established in 1998 by Mobitel, covering Khartoum and the major cities.

Mobitel had some 170,000 suscribers last year. Its major owners are Sudatel, a joint government-private held company, and Dutch company MSI.

Sudan’s 33 million-strong population offers considerable growth potential for GSM operators.