By James Barton
Guinea’s telecom minister Ousmane Gaoual Diallo has affirmed the government’s commitment to re-launching state-owned Societe des Telecoms de Guinee (Sotelgui) in the first half of 2023.
Agence Ecofin reports that the operator will launch with 4G and 5G technology so that it can compete effectively in the market with established rivals. However, this will require additional time for Sotelgui to generate funds and upgrade its infrastructure.
Guinea’s state operator went bankrupt in 2012, with mismanagement widely cited as the cause. The government has prioritised reviving the operator ever since, and in March 2021 procured support for the initiative from the African Development Bank.
According to Guinea’s Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPT), there are 14.6 million subscribers in the market, which is split between three private operators. At the end of Q1 2022, Orange led the market with 59.8 per cent, while MTN has a 31 per cent share and Cellcom 9 per cent.
