The licence allows an operator to provide all telecommunications services including voice and data irrespective of whether the service is transmitted wirelessly or on a wire.

Acting Chief Executive Officer, Keabetswe Segole, says fulfilling the terms of the new licence presents great challenges for his company, but it is prepared to meet them. He described the licence as a “perfect enabler of our NExT strategy.”

NExT (New Experience in Telecoms), is a new strategy the Orange group has adopted world-wide, and the company plans to use it to provide its customers with enhanced service

But the new licence does come with restrictions: the Botswana authorities have allowed new entrants to the market to compete nationally only after December 2009. Until then they are allowed to provide services only at the rural/district level.

Mascom was the first company to be awarded licence to operate a mobile phone business locally, but it remains unclear as to whether or not they have also applied for a service-neutral licence or will take another course in the face of impending competition from the new role-player.

[13 Apr 2007 14:58]

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