[2019-10-03] Angola launches a new public tender for fourth telecom operator

Source: Macauhub

The Angolan government has launched a new tender for the award of the fourth Unified Global Title for the provision of public electronic communications services, according to a statement issued on Monday by the Ministry of Finance.

The announcement adds that this public tender is restricted by prior qualification and has two phases – a first for submission of applications until 8 November for qualification of interested parties and a second for submission of proposals by qualified candidates.

Qualified applicants will be invited to submit their technical and financial proposals, with 60 days to do so.

The press release also announced that an international tender will be held to attract the interest of major world telecom operators, with the first of the scheduled sessions taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 7 October.

The result of the previous public tender was annulled by a decision of President João Lourenço, last April, on the grounds that the winning company, Angolan Telstar, had not presented the balance sheet and income statement for the past three years, as required in the tender documents.

Telstar was founded on 26 January 2018 with a capital stock of 200,000 kwanzas (US$625). Its shareholders are General Manuel João Carneiro (90%) and businessman António Cardoso Mateus (10%).

The Angolan press reported that South African group MTN, the largest mobile phone operator in Africa, had dropped out on the grounds that the international public tender was “flawed from the ou.”

Angola currently has three companies providing telecommunications services, Unitel, with a market share of 80%, Movicel with the remaining 20% and Angola Telecom, with practically no share, and of which 45% is due to be privatised.