Mobile communications solutions provider MTN Zambia has merged with Internet service provider (ISP) MTN Business to become one business entity
The merger between the two firms has culminated in the formation of the Enterprise Business Unit of MTN Zambia. The development has made MTN Zambia a complete telecommunications solutions provider for business in voice, data and other related services such as data warehousing, fibre connectivity and cloud services.
According to a statement issued recently, the announcement of the merger coincided with the launch of MTN Zambia's cloud computing services, a development that puts the mobile phone company and Zambia in a position of leadership in the technological space.
Commenting on the development, MTN Zambia chief executive officer Abdul Ismail said this would now see MTN Zambia provide "end-to-end business solutions to its corporate clientele under one roof".
"Early this year, we announced our vision to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world to our customers. Under this vision are various strategic pillars. One of them is a focus on new business streams that will make communication reliable and convenient to all our customers," Ismail said.
"We are bringing together two powerful business functions with the sole objective of providing efficient, convenient and innovative enterprise business solutions to businesses of all sizes and in all industries in Zambia," he added.
Until 2010, MTN Business operated as UUNET in Zambia before being acquired by the MTN Group.
MTN Zambia said the launch of its cloud services followed similar events in other MTN operations such as Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Côte d'Ivoire.
MTN Cloud Services, the first of its kind in Zambia, provides business automation tools to enterprises across professional services and small and medium enterprise (SME) sectors.
MTN Zambia chief marketing officer Clement Asante said the company’s enterprise customers’ lives and businesses had become "a whole lot brighter with this merger".
"The impact of digital technology on creating efficiencies and increasing productivity for business cannot be overemphasised. The barrier, unfortunately in Zambia – especially for SMEs and even for some large corporates in taking full advantage of digital technologies – has been the huge investment required," Asante explained. "We are delighted that with this new Enterprise Business Unit of MTN Zambia, which will maintain the name MTN Business, we are positioned to address the challenges faced by businesses in Zambia in enjoying or having access to such digital technologies.
"Our MTN Cloud Services in particular, will enable SMEs, large companies and even very small-scale entrepreneurs to have access to various computer programmes, storage and services, without having to invest heavily in acquiring such on their own," he added.
The bouquet of MTN Cloud Services encompasses cost-effective e-mail and collaborative software such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM, a customer relations management tool, as well as security powered by McAfee.
Nawa Mutumweno
