Bharti Airtel has announced the launch of its operations in Rwanda, expanding its reach on the African continent to 17 countries
Bharti Airtel had said previously that it would invest over US$100 million in its operations over the next three years and generate direct and indirect employment opportunities.
Rwandatel's administrator, Richard Mugisha, has disclosed to Business Times that Bharti Airtel paid US$15.5 million to acquire Rwandatel's GSM masts, bringing Bharti Airtel’s total investment in Rwanda to US$45 million in less than a year.
“We are delighted to launch our operations and bring Airtel to the people of Rwanda,” said Manoj Kohli, CEO (International) & Joint MD, Bharti Airtel. “We believe that Rwanda is an extremely promising market and this launch further strengthens our footprint in eastern Africa.
“It will be our endeavour to bring world-class and affordable services to our customers in Rwanda and add value to the economy. We would like to thank the Rwandan government for giving us this opportunity, and we are committed to contributing to their aim of bridging the digital divide in the country.”
The Prime Minister of Rwanda, Dr. Pierre Damien Habumuremyi, said, “We are especially excited about the prospect of connecting Rwanda with the rest of the East African region and, indeed, with the rest of Africa. As Rwandans begin engaging in business ventures and looking for regional partners, telecommunications companies – like Airtel – that are able to provide access to a pan-African wireless network, become a crucial part of expansion.”
IBM, which has entered into a partnership with Bharti Airtel, will deploy and manage the information technology infrastructure and applications and enable Bharti Airtel to provide an improved service to customers in Rwanda.
Bharti Airtel was awarded the license by the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA) last year to operate 2G and 3G GSM mobile services.
Bharti Airtel currently operates in both Francophone and Anglophone markets across the continent, spanning Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
