Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has managed to get a 3G license in the African country of Niger, not long after it won a similar permit for Chad. The two new licenses will now allow the company to boast about having set up its 3G services in 17 nations on the African continent.
Previously, Airtel ran its operations in 17 African countries, but only had licenses to roll out 3G in 15 of these markets. The company hasn’t given an exact date as to when it will launch 3G in Niger and Chad, but says this will happen soon enough. There’s only one thing that doesn’t quite add up at present.
According to The Economic Times, it’s been four years since the service provider entered the African market with Sunil Mittal at the helm and it has yet to turn into a profitable business. It’d be safe to say that the brand is still in the capital investment stage currently and may try to earn a profit once it’s firmly established in the region.
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As developed countries reach a point of saturation, everyone involved in telecom is looking at markets that are still growing. The 3G license won by Airtel was given to it by Niger’s telecom regulatory authority, ARM (Autorite de Regulation Multisectorielle). It enables the network operator to deliver services like downloads, video-telephony and mobile internet under this permit.
Not just Niger, but Africa as a whole is an important market for Bharti Airtel. This is why the company is invested in allowing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to benefit from or alternately, offer telecom services across the continent.