KINSHASA, Dem. Rep. of Congo (DRC)** May 31, 2012/ *–* Airtel (
http://www.airtel.com), the largest telecom network in DRC, is the first
operator to be visited by the new Telecommunications & ICT Minister in the
country – his Excellency Tryphon Kin-Kiey MULUMBA. The visit was part of
the newly appointed Minister’s familiarization program to understand the
realities that the telecom operators are dealing with in the country. The
Democratic Republic of the Congo (French: République démocratique du
Congo), commonly referred to as DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa or the DRC, is a
country located in Central Africa. It is the largest country in sub Saharan
Africa by area since the accession of South Sudan as an independent country
and the eleventh largest in the world. With a population of over 71
million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the nineteenth most
populous nation in the world, the fourth most populous nation in Africa, as
well as the most populous officially Francophone country.
The Minister did not hide his satisfaction during his visit when he
discovered the level of investments made by the Number One telecom network
in DRC: More than a billion U.S. dollars has been invested in the network
over the years, and Airtel plans to invest an additional 615 million U.S.
dollars over the next three years.
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The visit started with a working session at Airtel’s Headquarters with the
Exco Committee and HQ offices. Braving the rain with his delegation, he
then headed for the New Technical Centers-NTC- in Barumbu and Kingabwa
neighborhoods. It should be noted that all the buildings visited by the new
Minister are Airtel owned properties, which demonstrates the long-term
commitment of the largest phone operator in DRC, through these key
investments.****
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Commenting on his visit, His Excellency Kin-Kiey MULUMBA said: “Our country
is very large and the potential is huge. Airtel is a big company, and the
investments made so far by Airtel in our country are amazing. We, as the
Government, are under the obligation to make available the essential
infrastructures to enable operators like Airtel and others to continue
investing in our country and improve the national coverage. ” ****
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“The Government’s instructions are very clear as for an immediate sale of
the 3G license to telecom operators and completion of the Optical fiber
landing station. The Optical fiber question is a matter of priority for the
Government,” he added.****
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Airtel DRC Managing Director, Mr Antoine Pamboro, thanked the Minister for
this visit which allowed the new head of the telecom sector to interact
with Airtel’s team. The Minister and his delegation were impressed by
Airtel’s technical achievements. Whist 60% of the Congolese population is
covered, there is still a lot more potential. He also pointed out the
organizations commitment to youth education. To date, three schools in
Kinshasa, Kasai-Oriental and Bas-Congo benefit from Airtel’s adopt a school
program.****
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Airtel has also expressed willingness to take up a 25 % participation of
the company to be set up to manage the Optical Fiber in the Democratic
Republic of Congo.****
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Airtel has also joined an elite club of global brands by making it to this
year’s BrandZTop™ 100 Most Valuable Global Brands list. With an overall
ranking of 71 and brand value of USD 11.5 billion, Airtel has been ranked
ahead of top global brands such as Citi (82), Sony (86), MTN (88), China
Telecom (90), and Volkswagen (96). ****
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