MTN, Bharti Airtel, Etisalat and six other leading mobile operator groups in Africa and the Middle East are directly contributing $60 billion to the sub-Saharan African economy, or six per cent of gross domestic products (GDP).
The other operators including Millicom, Ooredoo, Orange, STC, Vodafone and Zain account for over 500 million mobile connections across 48 countries in Africa and the Middle East. The nine operator groups said recently that they are individually undertaking initiatives designed to reduce the cost of roaming for consumers across both regions.
They added that the initiatives will address pricing, improve regional connectivity and mobility by increasing roaming footprints to provide greater customer choice, with a particular focus on improving routes for pre-paid customers. These combined efforts will enable consumers to use their mobile phones with greater confidence and predictability while travelling.
The director general of GSM Association, Anne Bouverot said, international and regional mobility is a critical factor in increasing trade and cross-border economic cooperation which is a government priority across Africa and the Middle East. She said, “The initiatives of these nine operators are to increase connectivity and make mobile more affordable for subscribers throughout these regions, encouraging greater adoption and usage of mobile services and enabling important socioeconomic benefits.”
As part of their work, the operators will look at a range of factors that affect roaming prices with the aim of improving technical efficiency and reducing costs. The senior leaders from the nine mobile operator groups supporting these initiatives are: Christian de Faria, CEO Africa, Bharti Airtel; Ahmad Julfar, group CEO, Etisalat Group; Arthur Bastings, EVP Africa, Millicom;
Others are Sifiso Dabengwa, CEO and president, MTN Group; Dr Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Ooredoo Group; Marc Rennard, senior executive vice president, Africa, Middle East and Asia, Orange; Abdulaziz A. Alsugair, chairman and MD, STC Group; Serpil Timuray, CEO, Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific Region, Vodafone Group and Scott Gegenheimer, CEO, Zain Group.
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