MTN opens service centre at South Sudan-Uganda border

"Our long wait is over; this is big for us as people have been suffering," Francis Okech, the Magwi county commissioner said during the launch. Okech was accompanied by MTN chief operating officer, George Nassif and Nimule town clerk, David Eriga during the launch at Nimule, located 192km from the capital, Juba.

Lacked major telecoms service centre

Thousands of people use the border exit point as they head to the East African region, either for school, business, or family visits, with hundreds of internally displaced persons living in the area. Until now, however, Nimule, the country's major trade point, reportedly lacked a major telecommunications service centre to make flawless communication possible.

The service center launch, the company said, makes MTN South Sudan the first multinational entity to set up there.

"The center will ensure vendors don't have to travel all the way to Juba to purchase airtime scratch cards, rectify problems," its statement reads.

Nassif said the company was committed to expanding telecoms technology across the entire country in ways that boost economic development.

A major engine

"When we talk about business, family, and service delivery, access to reliable telecommunications is a major engine," he stressed.

Gasper Mbowa, MTN's marketing manager said the company plans to expedite the launch of a customer care center at the border arose out of a realisation that it would have an immediate impact on the lives of thousands of people daily.

"Imagine someone has come all the way from Mombasa, where they were visiting family, and when they reach Nimule it's 5pm, and they can't call family in Juba to alert them that they will arrive late," said Mbowa.

Firms and humanitarian actors, who often import, through Nimule border post, much of what they need to implement their projects also welcomed the new launch.

"The goal is to have as many service centers at all major border points to expedite connectivity of the country to the outside world," adding that the center will offer registration services for SIM cards, mobile internet connections, reactivation of blocked numbers, and fully connected Carolina phones each valued at 85SSP.