MAPUTO: Mozambique began the search for a new cell phone provider on Thursday, 16 April 2009 paving the way for a third mobile communications company to enter the market, state media reported.
Regulators were meeting Thursday in Maputo to begin the process of launching a tender for the country's third mobile operating licence, said Noticias newspaper.
Mozambique gained its first cell phone provider in 1997 with the creation of state-owned mCel. South Africa-based Vodacom began operating in Mozambique in 2003 after winning a licence tender with a $15-million bid.
Cellular giant Vodafone has expressed interest in buying the third Mozambique licence.
According to data from the International Telecommunication Union, about 15% of Mozambicans currently have cell phones, well below the average for sub-Saharan Africa.
Source: AFP
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