More than 400 million meticais invested in telecommunications expansion

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More than 400 million meticais invested in telecommunications expansion

11:35 CAT | 30 May 2017

Noticias (File photo)

The Mozambican government, through the Universal Access Fund (FSAU), is to invest 430 million meticais (US$7.277 million at current exchange rates) this year expanding the telecommunications network to 30 new localities in the country.

The measure will bring telecommunications access to an additional 700,000 inhabitants approximately.

According to Minister of Transport and Communications Carlos Mesquita, the government decided to create the FSAU, whose goal is universal access to telecommunications, within the framework of the exercise of its social role.

The fund is supported by telecommunication operators in Mozambique, and is designed to finance telecommunication programs and projects in non-economically viable areas, the minister explained. It was created to ensure that Mozambique grew “in a harmonious way, observing the universal right of access to communications by all citizens,” he explained.

In addition to this investment, the minister also announced that “work is also being carried out to build six tele-centres, which are units for access and diffusion of the communications service in the communities”.

The minister was speaking in Maputo at the fifth anniversary of Movitel operations, whose arrival on the telecommunications scene Mesquita considered to be one the best decision taken by the government.

“The decision to assign the third license to the mobile operator in 2010 was based on consistent studies, which pointed to a potential market and, five years after its entry into service, we are proud to say that it was the best decision we made, given the operator’s efforts and the positive response of the market.”

The ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Mozambique, Nguyen Van Trung, who also spoke at the event, said in turn that the long-standing relationship between the two countries was always affectionate and cooperative, with the emphasis on support provided by Vietnam to the national liberation struggle.

“When Mozambique achieved independence 42 years ago, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam also achieved its national unification, which opened an era of peace and development,” Nguyen Van Trung said. The Asian country continues to accompany Mozambique on the development path, in order to bring prosperity and happiness to the Mozambican people, he added.

The ambassador also said that the two countries continued to cooperate in areas such as agriculture, education and health, and since 2012, Vietnam had invested in telecommunications in Mozambique, through Movitel.

“This is by far Vietnam’s most important and significant investment in Mozambique. We acknowledge that, after five years of operation, Movitel has made great progress, currently counting around 2,000 employees and five million customers,” the ambassador said.

Source: Noticias