MTN awarded Benin Republic and Cote d'Ivoire licences for broadband investment

30 March 2012

MTN, one of Africa's leading communications providers, has been awarded a universal licence in Benin Republic and a 3G licence in Cote d'Ivoire, with both set to lead to large infrastructure investments.

The firm will be improving connectivity for Ivorians by installing a 14,000-kilometre cable between Portugal and South Africa, bringing internet speeds up to international standards.

Additionally, the company will become the first to have a licence for 3G, 4G, long-term evolution (LTE) and Wimax internet for Benin.

Chief commercial officer of MTN, Christian de Faria, said that millions of people are going to benefit from the investment.

"This is exciting news for our customers, as they will now enjoy the benefits of world-class connectivity. We are grateful to the governments of Cote d'Ivoire and Benin for enabling MTN to further enhance the experience of mobile telephony for our customers," he explained.

It comes after a report by Internet World Stats revealed that infrastructure improvements are driving Africa's internet and broadband sector.

Category: ICT