Rwanda revokes Rwandatel licence, seeks third mobile phone operator‏

By The Zambian Editor on April 11, 2011

Rwanda will issue a new mobile phone operator licence to fill the gap left by Rwandatel whose mobile license was revoked over failure to implement its licence requirements last week.

This will be the third time the company is changing ownership since 2005 after Terracom, the American firm that initially took over from the state, also failed to meet its licence obligations.

Until last week, the Rwandan telecom industry had three mobile operators — MTN Rwanda, a subsidiary of South African MTN Group; Rwandatel, majority-owned by Libyan consortium LAP Green; and Tigo Rwanda, owned by Millicom International Cellular.

Industry analysts say Rwandatel’s operations were crippled by mismanagement and the financial difficulties faced by its parent company LAP Green.

Published in Technology