[2019-04-15] Telstar is Angola’s fourth-largest mobile operator

Source: Macauhub

Angolan company Telstar-Telecomunicações is Angola’s fourth-largest mobile operator after being awarded the international public tender for a new Unified Global Title (TGU), according to the national director of Telecommunications.

Pedro Mendes de Carvalho, who on Friday announced the results of the public tender, said that 27 companies, of which 18 were from Angola and nine were foreign companies, had expressed interest, six had acquired the tender documents, three applied, and only two were invited to put forward technical and financial proposals.

Telstar-Telecomunicações, Lda was founded on 26 January 2018 and has a capital of 200,000 kwanzas, with shareholders Manuel João Carneiro (90%) and businessman António Cardoso Mateus (10%) as shareholders.

The Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology, José Carvalho da Rocha, said on the occasion that Telstar now has to negotiate with the Angolan Telecommunications Institute, the market regulator, the terms of payment for its operating license, costing US$120 million.

The company, said the minister quoted by Angolan news agency Angop, will have to pay 15% of the US$120 million within 45 days and the remainder in seven years and negotiate with the regulator the content of the license, in terms of coverage, type of services and jobs to be created.

Carvalho da Rocha pointed out that another of the provisions of the tender is the obligation for Telstar to float its shares on the stock exchange “so that any citizen can have access to them.”

Until now Angola had three companies that provide telecommunications services, Unitel, Movicel and Angola Telecom, with a 45% share of the latter being privatised.