Angola picks Lebanon’s Africell as fourth telecoms operator

Luanda: Angola on Tuesday awarded the licence for its fourth telecoms network to Lebanese group Africell, as sub-Saharan Africa’s second-biggest oil producer opens other economic sectors to foreign competition.

Africell is already present in four African countries — Gambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Uganda.

Angola had awarded the licence last year to a domestic start-up called Telstar but President Joao Lourenco annulled the decision, saying the company failed to meet the bidding requirements.

Angola’s mobile phone market, with almost 14 million users, is currently dominated by two privately held companies — Unitel and Movicel. A third operator, Angola Telecom, offers fixed and internet access but no mobile services.