Guinea seeks MTN help to revive state-owned operator
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Guinea seeks MTN help to revive state-owned operator

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Guinea has enlisted the help of MTN to bring back a state-owned operator that was declared bankrupt in 2012.

Guinea Telecom was originally expected to launch its commercial services in the first half of 2023, but this date has now been pushed back to next year.

Representatives of the operator said that it must first operationalise its towers and will recruit staff for its administrative, commercial, accounting and network departments.

The country’s telecoms minister Ousmane Gaoual reportedly told local outlets that commercial services will not be launching this year.

"Antennas in Kaloum have undergone testing and are now operational,” he said.

“It will take until the end of the first half of the year to complete all of Conakry and then gradually move into the interior of the country to activate all Guinee Telecom’s antennas.

“Only then can marketing operations begin.”

MTN Guinea is expected to help accelerate the launch of Guinea Telecom. MTN is currently the second-biggest operator in the country, controlling 24.8% of the market.

Orange currently holds the biggest share with 65.9% and Cellcom is in third place with 9.4%.

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