Vietnam-based Viettel has launched mobile and Internet services in Tanzania under the brand name of Halotel
Other than 2G services, Viettel will also offer competitively-priced 3G connectivity to remote areas of Tanzania, empowering both urban and rural areas through connectivity and offering mobile services as a basic commodity. About 1,500 villages are now connected to mobile services now for the first time.
“Viettel’s vision is to provide every Tanzanian with a mobile phone and bring communication and information technology to every corner of life in the country. Our entry into Tanzania reflects our belief that when telecommunications services are accessible to everyone, and become a part of everyday life, they can be a driving force contributing to socio-economic development for the country as a whole,’ said Nguyen Manh Hung, general director of Viettel Group.
With an initial investment of US$736mn, Viettel has constructed and installed network infrastructure in just one year, while creating more than 2,000 direct and 20,000 indirect jobs. The company has started services in all 26 provinces in the country, across rural and urban areas. With infrastructure comprising 18,000 km of optic cable and more than 3,000 base transceivers, Viettel’s services can cover up to 81 per cent of Tanzania’s population.
The company will also provide free Internet connectivity to 450 public schools over the next three years. In addition, Viettel has provided optic cable connectivity to 150 committees, 150 public hospitals, 150 police stations and 65 post offices within the first half of 2015.
Viettel’s investment in Tanzania follows the rollout of services in Burundi and Cameroon through Lumitel and Nexttel earlier this year, and in Mozambique through Movitel in 2014. The East African country is the tenth market for the Vietnam state-owned mobile network operator. Viettel is owned and operated by Vietnam’s Ministry of Defence.
