Mobile firms Tigo and Airtel have merged.
Operators of the two telecommunication companies announced on Friday, 3 March via their respective subsidiaries that they had decided to enter into a deal to operate as a single entity in Ghana.
Millicom International Cellular S.A. and Bharti Airtel Limited per the agreement will have equal ownership of the resultant firm which will have a customer base of about 10 million – 5.6 million of them being data customers.
The resultant firm will cover more than 80% of Ghana’s population with high-speed data, providing the widest 3G coverage across the country, and would have revenues close to $300m, making it one of the largest communications companies in Ghana.
In a joint statement, Mohamed Dabbour, Executive Vice President, Millicom Africa, said: “In a highly fragmented telecom market, this deal represents a major milestone for our business in Ghana. The combination of Tigo and Airtel will create an operator that will be able to offer Ghanaian consumers and businesses a state of the art network with high speed mobile data coverage. This transaction underlines confidence in the Ghanaian economy, and provides the opportunity to develop nationwide digital infrastructure and services in Ghana.”
Raghunath Mandava, MD and CEO, Airtel Africa, said: “The agreement highlights our commitment to the Ghana market and our customers. The coming together of the two entities will benefit customers, who can now enjoy an extensive combined network and a wider range of affordable and innovative products and services. It will further strengthen our position in the market and offer huge benefits arising out of synergies in operations, resulting in better experience for the customers.”
Source:Ghana/AccraFM.com
