Less than six months after acquiring the Mobitel network in Sudan, Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) said it had passed the two million mark for subscribers, with latest figures showing the total had reached 2.2 million.
MTC said the figures showed the investments and expansion plans undertaken since it acquired full control of Mobitel in February 2006 had started to yield results. The network expansion, which included increasing the number of customer service locations, has helped the company grow in many parts of the country. Apart from establishing new customer service points, many existing outlets have been refurbished and modernized.
Khaled Muhtadi, General Manager of Mobitel, said, “The parent company has promoted network upgrading and undertaken significant expansion operations by extending its geographic coverage to western and southern areas in Sudan.”
“The new investments pumped by MTC Group included developing and upgrading customer call centers in various areas,” added Muhtadi.
The group signed a 78 million euro deal with Ericsson to upgrade and develop its Sudanese networks, the full results of which would be felt by the customers “in a very short time”..
“The investments will not only improve the operation and quality of the network, they will also add capacity for an additional 1.5 million subscribers by 2007,” Muhtadi said.
Muhtadi added that Mobitel had organized a contest for its customers to celebrate passing the 2 million customer mark. “Mobitel’s subscribers, from the very first to the most recent will be able to compete for prizes worth 400 million Sudanese pounds (USD180,000), and the winners’ names will be announced during a special show aired live by Sudanese television,” he said.
Mobitel’s General Manager said the subscriber numbers were a sign of confidence in Mobitel, which now has the largest customer base in Sudan; The 2.2 million figure is also the second largest base among the companies owned by MTC Group, which owns and runs 20 licenses in the Middle East and Africa and in total serves 23 million subscribers.
