Celtel
Encyclopedia
Celtel was a telecommunications company that operated in several African countries. It was founded by Sudan
ese-born Mo Ibrahim
.
Originally known as "MSI Cellular Investments", the company began operating in 1998. In January 2004, the company name was changed to "Celtel International".
In April 2005 the company was acquired by and became a subsidiary of Zain
(formerly the Mobile Telecommunications Company). At the time it was purchased by Zain in April 2005, Celtel had about 24 million subscribers in 14 African countries.
On 8, June 2010 the company was purchased by Bharti Airtel
from Zain. On 22 November 2010, it was rebranded as 'airtel'.
In June 2007 Celtel's One Network was extended to Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Congo. The One Network automatically activated upon crossing the geographical border into one of the six countries with no prior registration or sign-up fee. http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1341&Itemid=4508
In June 2007, Celtel International announced plans to add three more Celtel country networks to its "One Network". The additional countries were Malawi, Sudan (where it operated under the Mobitel brand), and Zambia. This further expansion brought the coverage of One Network to nine of the 15 African countries in which Celtel operated. http://allafrica.com/stories/200706260650.html
On September 2007 Celtel's Parent Company MTC Group adopted a new name Zain
(Arabic for ‘beautiful, good and wonderful) unifying it's different brands in 22 Countries. http://www.zain.com/muse/obj/lang.default/portal.view/content/Media%20centre/Press%20releases/Zain%20Launch.
On October 2007 Celtel International Acquired a 75% stake in Western Telesystems LTD (Westel) from the Ghanaian Government for $120 million US Dollars http://allafrica.com/stories/200710261256.html.
On 22 November 2007 Celtel doubled its One Network countries from 6 to 12 countries by adding Burkina Faso,Chad,Malawi,Niger,Nigeria and Sudan.http://africa.reuters.com/business/news/usnBAN223306.html.
In April 2008, Zain planned to expand its ``One Network" across its 22 Operations by end of June 2008.http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/swahili/meta/tx/swahili_1530?size=au&bgc=003399&lang=sw&nbram=1&nbwm=1
The One Network is still operated in Africa today by Bharti Airtel in association with Zain and Cell C.
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese-born Mo Ibrahim
Mo Ibrahim
Dr. Mohamed "Mo" Ibrahim is a Sudanese mobile communications entrepreneur and billionaire. He worked for several other telecommunications companies before founding Celtel, which when sold had over 24 million mobile phone subscribers in 14 African countries...
.
History
In April 2005 the company was acquired by and became a subsidiary of Zain
Zain
-People:*as a given name in general , orwith a first name of Zain*Zain Abbas , a Pakistan-born cricketer*Zain Amat , a Singaporean trapshooter*Zain Awan , an India-born Arab TV journalist...
(formerly the Mobile Telecommunications Company). At the time it was purchased by Zain in April 2005, Celtel had about 24 million subscribers in 14 African countries.
On 8, June 2010 the company was purchased by Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited , commonly known as Airtel, is an Indian telecommunications company that operates in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa and the Channel Islands. It operates a GSM network in all countries, providing 2G or 3G services depending upon the country of operation...
from Zain. On 22 November 2010, it was rebranded as 'airtel'.
One Network
In September 2006 Celtel launched "One Network", the world's first borderless network across East Africa. One Network enabled its subscribers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to roam free between these countries, thereby scrapping roaming charges, making calls at local rates, receiving incoming calls free of charge, and recharging with local top up cards http://allafrica.com/stories/200609290730.html.In June 2007 Celtel's One Network was extended to Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Congo. The One Network automatically activated upon crossing the geographical border into one of the six countries with no prior registration or sign-up fee. http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1341&Itemid=4508
In June 2007, Celtel International announced plans to add three more Celtel country networks to its "One Network". The additional countries were Malawi, Sudan (where it operated under the Mobitel brand), and Zambia. This further expansion brought the coverage of One Network to nine of the 15 African countries in which Celtel operated. http://allafrica.com/stories/200706260650.html
On September 2007 Celtel's Parent Company MTC Group adopted a new name Zain
Zain
-People:*as a given name in general , orwith a first name of Zain*Zain Abbas , a Pakistan-born cricketer*Zain Amat , a Singaporean trapshooter*Zain Awan , an India-born Arab TV journalist...
(Arabic for ‘beautiful, good and wonderful) unifying it's different brands in 22 Countries. http://www.zain.com/muse/obj/lang.default/portal.view/content/Media%20centre/Press%20releases/Zain%20Launch.
On October 2007 Celtel International Acquired a 75% stake in Western Telesystems LTD (Westel) from the Ghanaian Government for $120 million US Dollars http://allafrica.com/stories/200710261256.html.
On 22 November 2007 Celtel doubled its One Network countries from 6 to 12 countries by adding Burkina Faso,Chad,Malawi,Niger,Nigeria and Sudan.http://africa.reuters.com/business/news/usnBAN223306.html.
In April 2008, Zain planned to expand its ``One Network" across its 22 Operations by end of June 2008.http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/swahili/meta/tx/swahili_1530?size=au&bgc=003399&lang=sw&nbram=1&nbwm=1
The One Network is still operated in Africa today by Bharti Airtel in association with Zain and Cell C.
See also
- Mobile telephony in AfricaMobile telephony in AfricaMobile telephony is well spread in Africa just like in the Western World; while in Europe and North America there is a trend towards an average of two cell phones per person, more and more Africans own cell phones. The percentage keeps increasing year after year...
- Bharti AirtelBharti AirtelBharti Airtel Limited , commonly known as Airtel, is an Indian telecommunications company that operates in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa and the Channel Islands. It operates a GSM network in all countries, providing 2G or 3G services depending upon the country of operation...
- Airtel AfricaAirtel AfricaAirtel Africa is the collective name given to the African operations of Indian telecommunications company Bharti Airtel. Airtel Africa ended November 2011 with over 50 million customers across 16 countries.-History:...
- ZainZain-People:*as a given name in general , orwith a first name of Zain*Zain Abbas , a Pakistan-born cricketer*Zain Amat , a Singaporean trapshooter*Zain Awan , an India-born Arab TV journalist...
- Celtel Africa ChallengeCeltel Africa ChallengeZain Africa Challenge is a televised academic competition for students of African universities, sponsored by Zain. Prior to the acquisition of MTC, Celtel's parent company, the competition was known as the Celtel Africa Challenge. The programme was an extension of Celtel’s corporate social...