Zambia’s telecom sector received a massive boost on Tuesday after the government reportedly is moving towards repealing the Statutory Instrument 2010 that had barred a new fourth mobile network operator in the country, The Times of Zambia reported, citing government officials.
The move has created buzz in the country as telecom experts and analysts believe it will increase competition and drive costs down for users in the country.
Transport, Works, Supply and Communication Minister Christopher Yaluma was quoted as saying a team of technocrats “is currently working on modalities that would ascertain the coming of a new player in the country.”
He added that “there was still paper work for the government to do before it went ahead and gave a license to a fourth operator.”
Although the government has not received any requests from an operator to become the fourth license in the country, it fully expects to field a number of requests, considering the dramatic rise in the telecom sector across the country and the East African region.
Yaluma said that the regulator “would look at issues to do with frequencies.”
Mohammad Awad