… Airtel is the leading mobile operator in Sierra Leone with
over 1.3 million customers
Orange (www.Orange.com) announces today that, together with
its Senegal-based partner Sonatel, it has completed the acquisition of 100% of
the mobile operator Airtel in Sierra Leone. Since the signature of an agreement
with Bharti Airtel International (Netherlands) BV (“Airtel”) in January 2016,
Orange has obtained all the official approbations necessary to complete this
transaction.
Airtel is the leading mobile operator in Sierra Leone with
over 1.3 million customers (on the basis of active customers within a 30-day
period) for a total population of 6.3 million people. With a mobile penetration
of around 50% of the population, Sierra Leone offers considerable growth
potential, particularly at a time when significant investments are underway to
extend the operator’s 3G network. This network, which already offers good
coverage in Freetown and other major towns in Sierra Leone, is set to provide
internet access to customers living outside major urban areas.
The investments planned in the coming years will enable
customers in Sierra Leone to benefit from the support of the Sonatel group and
take advantage of the Orange group’s expertise and momentum in terms of
innovation and development of the digital ecosystem. Following the recent
launch of operations in Liberia and Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone becomes the 21st
country in Africa and the Middle East to join the Orange group.
Bruno Mettling, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Orange
group and Chairman & CEO of Orange MEA (Middle East and Africa), stated:
“We are pleased to announce that the acquisition of the mobile operator Airtel
in Sierra Leone has been finalised. This new acquisition, which will be
consolidated by Sonatel, will further strengthen Orange’s strategic position on
the African continent.”
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