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2006: A big year ahead for Botswana
Paul Budde writes:
Several major events shaping the telecommunications sector in Botswana, one of Africa's wealthiest countries, will be happening in 2006 with the country''s National ICT Policy Master Plan, called 'Maitlamo', moving from the specification to the implementation phase.
Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC), the national carrier, will be privatised and promises to be one of the more attractive of the many investment opportunities that currently exist in Africa. Consultants to the country''s telecoms regulator BTA have advised to lift the ban on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) from mid-2006 which will create additional opportunities for new and existing players to compete in the voice market.
Botswana's international connectivity will improve significantly when the proposed Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASCS or EASSY) goes live around the end of next year, with connection to another cable, the West African Festoon System (WAFS), being in the planning stage.
A third mobile player may enter the market, possibly in the form of a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO).
For further information see -
Botswana - Telecoms Market Overview & Statistics.
2005 - Africa Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband in the Southern and Indian Ocean Region
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