Portugal Telecom Eyeing Pan-African MVNO

Portugal Telecom is reported to be considering setting up a pan-African MVNO service. Portugal Telecom's CEO, Henrique Granadeiro told the Visao newspaper that he belives there is an opportunity for an MNVO based in Angola.

"The big pan-African operators are centred in South Africa or in the Middle East but we believe in a new pan-African operator based elsewhere, namely in Angola," Henrique Granadeiro told newsweekly Visao.

Portugal Telecom currently operates in four former Portuguese colonies - Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau as well as Sao Tome and Principe - along with Morocco, operated as a joint venture with Telefonica. The company also has a minority stake in Telecom Namibia

Granadeiro said the new MVNO could be launched together with Angolan mobile services operator Unitel, in which Portugal Telecom holds a 25% stake.

"These are the partners who we have and who we are very comfortable with. It doesn't mean we would make Unitel the centre of the operator but Angola is a good platform for the launch of a pan-African operator," he said."

Posted to the site on 9th March 2007