Zain breaks telecommunication monopoly in Jonglei state
By Philip Thon Aleu
October 21, 2008 (BOR TOWN) – Kuwaiti Zain telecommunication network, the second in the state, launched mobile services provision in Jonglei capital on Sunday as communication improves.
Residents of Bor Town can now dial Sudan’s code; ( +249), relieving Southern Sudan’s vast State from Ugandan’s code (+256) provided by Gemtel.
Zain sells fully connected mobile phone at 100 Sudanese Pound (SDG), sim card at 15 SDG and pledged low charges for local calls. It is still unclear whether international calls, previously difficult to access with other network, could enter with a lot of ease.
But to complete connection to Zain is digging on hill! National identification card or passport is required of one to be a customer; a long registration process and restrictive, traders contacted claim.
“This is a business and I don’t see a reason of requesting national IDs,” Jacob Mading, a shop attendant at Marol Market reacted at the congested shop where Zain registration is done.
However, it is not clear why connection has very hard with Zain till Tuesday. Most subscribers complain that their phones might be having a lot of fault or connection is not completed though purchasing is done.
“The business polite language is ‘cash of delivery. When shall we have clear voices over the phones?” a town resident who prefers anonymity questioned.
Zain fully acquired Sudan’s former state operator Mobitel in 2006, opening the door to expansion in the south where suspicions after decades of north-south civil war had prevented northern-owned operators from expanding despite a 2005 peace deal.
So far very little of Zain’s $500 million investment in Sudan has been spent on the south where the company may have around 150,000 customers. Zain estimate over the next couple of years to spend $100 to $150 million, depending on what we find of the ground.
Other networks expected to join cells phone provision at Jonglei capital include MTN, which aerial is erected at Pan de Machor, sudani, it aerial at Lang-bar-Atet, and Network of the world (NOW), it aerial at Marol market (beside Zain).
A successful launching of these mobiles phone providers will bring to five home networks (Zain and Gemtel included) after a long monopolized Gemtel market.
Most residents had questioned Gemtel sellers’ increment of airtime card values. A 5 SDG valued Gemtel’s airtime card is sold at 6 SDG as 10 SDG valued card rises to12 SDG commonly in Bor Town.
(ST)
DOOR!
Zain breaks telecommunication monopoly in Jonglei state
Enjoy telecommunication people of Jonglei. However, i feel jealiousy when Kuwait and other networks are consuming our people’s money due to lack of technology and resources.
Let’s sit for less as our world is catching up.
Use those mobile phones to coordinate communication whenever Murle and Lou Nuer attack and steal our cattles-their parasitic living way.
DOOR!
Deng Kor
Zain breaks telecommunication monopoly in Jonglei state
I would like to make some few clarifications concerning the above mentioned subject under discussion here.
It is four days now since Bor was on air with Zain moible phone services, and I would like to say congratulation to Bor citizens. Enjoy the sercvice and do feed us back, from time time, concerning any problems in our services.
Its always a phenominon in any new business oppertunity that few clever persons runs before others with that new business products to go and sell at black market (unoffical) prices. It is the same with Zain Co. Limited that whenever we open our service in a town or city, some of our dealers and/or retailers run before us to go and sell our products at black market prices.
But this is always solved within a month or two when products availavblity become abondant.
The mobile phone (bundles) in question whcih is a nokia1200 set with its acessories plus SIM card, has an official price of 85 SDG at all our shops in Juba, Malakal and the North. An offical SIM Card price is 5 SDG + 5 SDG air time in it. Local calling rates are 12 piasters or 14 piasters depending which type of our SIM you are talking about. Internationl calls are charged at 1 SDG per minute and it is as easy as making local calls, sometimes, easier than making local calls.
The request of ID card or National certificate from our would be subscribers is connected with the ownership of the SIM, in case it lost in future your information would have been locked in our system and it will be replaced quickly without any doubts or diffficulty and free of charge.
Zain now is operational in most main cities and twons in Southern Sudan (Juba, Wau, Malakal, Rumbek, Raga, Awiel, Kuajok, Gogrial, Alek Toj, Toriet, Maridi… etc.).
Nimole, Yerol, Mondri and many other smaller towns will be on air in a mounth or two period.
David Deng
Zain South Sudan Regional Manager,
David
Zain breaks telecommunication monopoly in Jonglei state
It is a better news indeed. I like the way the reporter has chosen the report title. It is a monoply broken.
Gemtel has enjoyed undue monopoly with no comparable benefits. I wish Sudani opens soon too in the area.
Wunashuei
Zain breaks telecommunication monopoly in Jonglei state
Where are those of Gier and Elijah as they claim to be the owners of fake telecommunication Gemtel. let them improve their system or go to hell, b’se we are tired of no customer care from Gemtel Tele. no one can be there for as u are seeking help or trying to inquire something also people from abroad complain that they can not call Gemtel or it just consume their money without hearing any voice, even SMS services are not their too. and to make it worse it operating using Uganda Code (256) which confused many people on which code to use when calling Uganda or other network. look at all these messes. I hope this time people of South Sudan have got an answer to Gemtel problem, so it will be up to those who claim that it is their to pull up their socks or otherwise they will be deserted by all subscribers.
Thanks to zain we well you to many counties.
Nhial Reath Thoan
Zain breaks telecommunication monopoly in Jonglei state
Hey Door , don`t be narrow mindness !! In every where in the World there is Good as well as Bad People . It is not Murle nor Nuer are only Bad in Southern Sudan . So You better be careful about what you can say in the eye of your democracy !!!