Palapye.com News Blog

source: BOPA
13 May, 2008

GHANZI - The increasing number of mobile phone operators in Botswana gives an assurance that governments initiative to liberalise and therefore develop the telecommunications sector has been successful.

Officiating at the Mascom 10th Anniversary dinner hosted for Mascom customers in Ghanzi, the Minister of Works and Transport, Mr Johnnie Swartz, said 10 years ago, government, through the Botswana Telecommunications Authority (BTA), awarded licences to the countrys first two mobile operators, Mascom Wireless and Orange Botswana.

Mr Swartz said the third operator, Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) launched its mobile services last month.

The Mascom Wireless celebration, Mr Swartz said, came at a time when both the transport and telecommunications sectors had shown a significant growth rate of 20.3 per cent during the 2006/07 financial year.

Mr Swartz said the telecommunications sector should however, not just see its responsibility as being the provision of mobile phone services but must complement the development of Botswana into a knowledge based society and attract foreign direct investment.

He said the government had through Maitlamo set a clear and [continue reading]