According to media reports, Guinea has made progress on its pledge to relaunch state-owned operator Sotelgui, which will be rebranded as Guinee Telecom and operational at the end of January. This was disclosed by telecom minister Ousmane Gaoual Diallo informing cabinet members.
BMA understands that the operator tested its network in mid-December as part of its original plans to fully launch at the end of 2022.
The minister disclosed no further details but had previously stated ambitions to launch 4G and 5G to ensure the company does not lag behind its competitors.
Diallo previously outlined that the first half of 2023 would be the launch window for the operator.
In 2012, Sotelgui, as the state-owned operator was known then, went bankrupt, with mismanagement widely reported as the cause. The Guinean government has since made steps to revive the operator, such as gaining support from the African Development Bank.
According to Guinea’s Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPT), there are 14.6 million subscribers in the market, split between three private operators.
At the end of Q1 2022, Orange led the market with 59.8 per cent, while MTN has a 31 per cent share and Cellcom 9 per cent.
