Dhabi Group to Revolutionize Uganda’s Mobile Phone Industry

When it comes to doing business, Africa is not the continent that most multinational companies get excited. However, African countries are witnessing a very healthy growth in the mobile phone sector. I guess that in the mobile phone sector, we will see some big names going to Africa in the next few years. Take the example of the UAE Dhabi Group. They are going to enter the Ugandan market very soon and revolutionize the mobile phone market.

I was reading an interview of Business Editor Paul Busharizi Bashir Ahmad Tahir in The New Vision where he talked about the investment plan of the Dhabi Group in Uganda. While he was asked about the interest of Dhabi Group in Uganda, Mr. Tahir replied:

We are looking to invest in telecoms, set up a mobile phone company. Through this investment Uganda will become the first country in Africa to adopt Wimax technology, a step up above current 3G technologies.

Dhabi group will function in Uganda as a GSM operator and will start to offer service from next August. Mr. Tahir stated that Dhabi Group was expecting to have 4 million subscribers within a few years in the country. Well, if you are not sure if they can achieve this target or not, I can remind you of the Pakistani example. Dhabi Group has achieved huge success in Pakistan. So, there is every possibility that it will do well in Uganda.

About his expectations of the Ugandan mobile phone market, he said:

A country of 28 million people, the number of mobile users is approximately 8%. When we went to Pakistan last year, the teledensity was 6%. Today it is more than 20%. You have to gauge the income level. If you can provide what people want, get the right type of handset and tariff structure, you should be okay.

I am happy that the people of Uganda will have the taste of Wimax technology soon. People of many poor countries often have to wait for years to have a taste of the modern technology.