Zambian regulator hints at 5th telecom operator

Telecompaper | The Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) has hinted at the possibility of accommodating a 5th operator on the country’s telecommunications market in a bid to increase competition, reports Mybroadband. ZICTA director general Patrick Mutimunshi said a 5th operator could compete with MTZ Zambia, Airtel Zambia, Zamtel and Uzi Zambia, which is yet to begin operations. Mutimunshi said the regulator’s mandate is to make sure that there is competition in the market and that this competition is sustained.

He said the new licencing regime has opened up the market for anyone to come to the country and invest. Mutimunshi said there is still the possibility of accommodating a 5th operator that can still make profit because at the end of the day, the operations must be sustainable. While Mutimunshi did not provide detail of the immediate future of Uzi Zambia, he said the authority did not get the results it wanted from the 4th operator.

According to the Minister of Communications and Transport Mutotwe Kafwaya, Uzi has assured authorities of its readiness to launch operations in May following a 6-month extension granted in November 2019. Kafwaya said he is confident the operator will launch this time because “it still has over 3 months to complete the remaining work.”