Bharti Airtel takes over Zain Tanzania, invests 220bn/-

[Geza Ulole]

By MASATO MASATO,
21st July 2010

BHARTI Airtel, an Indian telecommunications company that has acquired African operations of Zain, yesterday announced an investment of 150 million US dollars (over 220bn/-) among other sweeping measures to transform Zain Tanzania into the local market leader.

“Tanzania is a great market with immense potentials for growth…we want to be a partner in Tanzania’s growth and work with the government to take telecom networks deep into small towns and villages of the country,” said Manoj Kohli, Bharti’s Chief Executive Officer (International).

The CEO cited doubling of the local teledensity from the current 30 to over 60 per cent, raising affordability of telecommunication services and boosting employment in the telecommunications sector as some of the targets that the investor envisages achieving.

“We envisage availing our telecommunications services to over 25 million people. Tanzanians, be those in urban areas or farmers in rural villages need to own and use phones,” said Mr Kohli, noting that costing and quality of mobile phone services remained the critical issues yearning for instant solutions in Tanzania.

Communications, Science and Technology Minister Peter Msolla said of Bharti entry into the local market: “We believe their affordability model which is a success in emerging markets will be of great benefit to Tanzanian consumers.”

Professor Msolla said Tanzania still has areas without mobile communications services, saying:

“I firmly believe Bharti Airtel strategy will focus on them.”

The 15-year old company also plans to introduce its ecosystem of global partners in Tanzania, resulting into additional employment opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled people.

“We intend to recruit not only qualified engineers to install and run our state-of-the art network systems but also semi-skilled rural youth in our distribution networks,” Mr Kohli told a press conference in Dar es Salaam.

The new investor will replicate its Indian Corporate Social Responsibility programme in the country by setting up of schools that offer free quality education to the underprivileged children in rural areas.

This is the third time the cellular phone company is changing ownership. It started as Celtel, before changing into Zain and now Bharti. The CEO said the Zain brand will be replaced in November, this year.

Other countries that Bharti has acquired operations are Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, DRC, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia.

Bharti Airtel, described as the fifth largest telecommunications company in the world, started in New Delhi, India in 1995 with five million US dollars annual turnover but has grown into a multinational firm with operations in 18 countries across Asia and Africa.

It offers mobile voice and data services, fixed line, high speed broadband and turnkey telecom solutions among other services.

Meanwhile, Mr Sam Elangalloor was yesterday introduced as the company’s new Managing Director for Tanzania, bringing in vast experience in the telecommunications sector.

“Sam has over 20 years of professional experience in all key areas of the telecom business,” Mr Kohli said of the new MD. Zain’s Tanzania outgoing MD Khaled Muhtadi goes to Bahrain.

Daily News | Bharti Airtel takes over Zain Tanzania, invests 220bn/-

MY TAKE:
Mbona mstakabali wa shares za TTCL zilizokuwa na utata kipindi cha Zain halijaongelewa au Prof. Msola ashashikishwa? maana uchaguzi ndo huo wajameni ningependa majibu ya suala hilo yangetangazwa kwa nguvu zilezile kama za kupinga ununuzi wa Zain by Bharti Airtel hapo mwanzo au ni sirikali? Mungu atulinde na ujambazi huu!

 

[Kigogo]

mhhh

 

[Kamaka]

Mbona ishu ya TTCL iliisha kitambo!

 

[chibingo]

Binafsi sipendi kufanya biashara na Wahindi na siwaamini kabisaaaaa!
Bado tuna machungu na RITES wameiua TRL yetu, tunataka Prof. Msolla atueleze watanzania zile share zetu za TTCL zipoje katika ujio huu wa hawa Bharti Airtel? Makubaliano yao na serikali yapo vipi?

 

[wakumbuli]

safi sana,sisi tupunguziwe gharama tu na kulipa kodi ya serikali swala la kubadilishana wacha wapalangane

 

[anania]

Naungana na mkuu hapo mjuu kuwa wahindi sio watu wa kuwategemea kuleta mabadiliko.

Maisha ya wafanyakazi wake yatakuwa magumu sana bila shaka tutashuhudia migomo ya wafanyakazi.

Nasema hivyo kwani nimefanya nao kazi kwenye kiwanda cha karatasi cha MGOLOLO (MPM) zamani kilijulikana kama SPM Mshahara ikikuwa 50,000 baada ya kuambiwa na selikari kupandisha mshahara waliongeza mshahara hadi 80,000 ujue hapo unafanya kazi kama punda.

Pia viongozi wetu ni watu wa kitu kidogo kwani 2007 Chiligati na msafara wa watu 20 walienda kule MPM waliishia ofisini tu ingawa lengo lao ni lilikuwa ni kwenda kuonana na wafanyakazi ili watoe dukuduku zao, haikuwa hivyo si unajua kuwa wahindi ni watu wakutoa mshiko mrefu kwa viongozi. Angalia viwanda vyote vya wahindi vipo katika hali gani.

Watanzania tujiandae kupewa lawaka kwa vizazi vijavyo kwa kukaa kimya kwetu bila kuchukua hatua yoyote.

Nataka kujua hapo vipi kuhusu kodi serikali inapata hasara au hakuna kwani hiyo ni kutoka celtel to Bharti Airtel.

 

[Kabuche1977]

inabidi watu tukimbilie TIGO au VODA, huu mtandao sijui hata kama utakuwa reliable, nivowajua wahindi itakuwa ile mbaya

 

[Raia Fulani]

Mtandao ni voda tu, labda na zantel. Wengine wababaishaji

 

[Mtazamaji]

Sasa jamani tunataka nani aje awekeze zaidi ya hao wahindi na wachina. Mazingira ya nchi yetu kiuwekezaji yana alama za ???na tunaweka siasa mbele. Mfano mmoja tujiulize kwa nn Tanzania haina uhusiano wa kibalozi na Israel. Matokeo yake waisrael ambao ni leader kwenye teknolojia ya mawasilino na mambo ya dhahabu/almasi wakitaka kuwekeza tanzania lazima waje kwa mgongo wa RSA ( South Africa).

Sioni tatizo la wahindi/wachina matatizo yote yanayokea tuwalaumu wanaoingia mikataba ambao ni sisi wenyewe.Waje tu wakiona vipi wawape wachina after all hii ni kampuni binafsi.

 

[Da Womanizer]

Wahindi kweli wababaishaji tena sana tu lakini kwenye kila kitu kuna exceptions na ninaweza kusema hawa jamaa wa Airtel wako juu na wako makini sana na kazi. Ila all in all tusubiri tuone.

 

[Mahesabu]

wapo wahindi ambao ni super.......JAYESH & GOVIN ambao wapo na kampuni ya ESTIM ni kati ya wahindi ambao HAWANA UHINDI..........!but 90% of inndianas are indians!

 

[alsaidy]

safi sana,sisi tupunguziwe gharama tu na kulipa kodi ya serikali swala la kubadilishana wacha wapalangane

Umezungumza point mkuu! Vita ya panzi iendelee!! The most important thing is we want the communication at very affordable price!!

 

[alsaidy]

Wahindi kweli wababaishaji tena sana tu lakini kwenye kila kitu kuna exceptions na ninaweza kusema hawa jamaa wa Airtel wako juu na wako makini sana na kazi. Ila all in all tusubiri tuone.

Nataka kukunga mkono mkuu,sio kila kitu kinachomilikiwa na muhindi ni matatizo. Percentage ya success katika biashara zao ni kubwa kushinda failure.

Ninachoangalia mimi ni efficiency katika makampuni ambazo wanamiliki. Nina uhakika Zain itabadilika sana katika gharama na quality ya service zao especially internet ambapo it was very expensive under Celtel and Zain.

Kuweza kuhimili competition India means unaweza ku compete any where in the world.

Go go Bharti and makes our life wonderful.........................

 

[PlanckScale]

Nyie mnaosema yeyote aje, mnasahau kuwa foreign investors are not just bringing in service; but they are also supposed to create jobs and transfer technology to the local population. By jobs I mean good jobs, sio tu ukarani na udereva.

It is true, viongozi hakuna kwahiyo sisi wenyewe ni part of the problem. We are not defining and promoting good investment policies. But we are indeed exacerbating the problem by bringing in investors who are clearly not going to help.

Yanii wadosi will never want us to progress. Period.
Corruption is ingrained in their society, they believe in social classes, where the darker you are the lower you should be...sasa wewe jiulize where you will fit in in their organizational chart.


I am going to predict kwamba wataleta wahindi wenzao kuchukua all the top and mid-level managarial position, and all the technical jobs. Wabongo mtabakia kupanda minara ya antenna na kupiga debe kwenye traffic lights.
We ngoja tuu mtaona...

 

[bwegebwege]

Guys; wapeni nafasi, Airtel kwa South and Central Asia wakpo juu sana; teknologia yao ni ya kisasa sana na iko affordable. Kama wataingiza same technology Tanzania basi mtawasahau Voda na Tigo kabisa....count on me!! Serikali yetu tu iwe makini...wasikubali kuletewa makapi....

 

[PlanckScale]

Guys; wapeni nafasi, Airtel kwa South and Central Asia wakpo juu sana; teknologia yao ni ya kisasa sana na iko affordable. Kama wataingiza same technology Tanzania basi mtawasahau Voda na Tigo kabisa....count on me!! Serikali yetu tu iwe makini...wasikubali kuletewa makapi....

Ndugu zangu, it is not just the services that we need…we also need to gain the knowledge in order to compete in the global market!

A good policy towards foreign investment must take into account the transfer of technology/knowledge into the local population. Transfer of technology does not mean "wanatuletea mitambo ya kisasa ya simu" NOT AT ALL.

Rather, we need to encourage foreign companies/investors, through regulations, to hire national workers and train them to be competent in their jobs, which are equivalent to similar jobs in the globe. To achieve this knowledge-transfer, a host country must be selective in the kind of investor it allows into the country, as well as having a good investment policy that will ensure the maximization of return to the host nation (in both financial and knowledge).

For example, the investor should be required to reserve certain leadership position and knowledge-based position in the organization for the local staff. The investor should also be required to gradually reducing the number of foreign staff and replacing them with local employees. To achieve these goals, the investor is required (again, through good policies) to continuously train the local staff, with the goal of preparing them to take higher and more decision making functions. Doing all this will in the long run makes the local population more knowledgeable and competent in the world economy. Hence, the transfer of technology/knowledge into the host country.

We need to become global competitor by taking advantage of potential know-how brought in by these global companies. This is how all emerging markets have been doing and are continuing to do. Look at Brazil, they are now building their own Aircraft, have become expert in oil drilling. Look at China they are now manufacturing everything that the Europeans/Americans are making. Where do you think Brazil and China got this knowledge from?? It is because of knowledge transfer through good investment policies.

We need to encourage technology/knowledge diffusion, otherwise totabaki makuli tuu and consumers of imported "white goods"



Disclaimer; I am not an economist, just a concerned Mzawa!

 

[Easymutant]

Wanajamii katika pita pita zangu nimekutana na hii:-
inasemekana kwamba kampuni ya simu Zain imeizwa kwa wahindi na soon watabadili jina from zain to bhar airtel
mwenye data za uhakika naomba atujuze vizuri na kama ni tetesi pia ni vyema kufahamu,

 

[alsaidy]

Ndugu zangu, it is not just the services that we need…we also need to gain the knowledge in order to compete in the global market!

A good policy towards foreign investment must take into account the transfer of technology/knowledge into the local population. Transfer of technology does not mean "wanatuletea mitambo ya kisasa ya simu" NOT AT ALL.

Rather, we need to encourage foreign companies/investors, through regulations, to hire national workers and train them to be competent in their jobs, which are equivalent to similar jobs in the globe. To achieve this knowledge-transfer, a host country must be selective in the kind of investor it allows into the country, as well as having a good investment policy that will ensure the maximization of return to the host nation (in both financial and knowledge).

For example, the investor should be required to reserve certain leadership position and knowledge-based position in the organization for the local staff. The investor should also be required to gradually reducing the number of foreign staff and replacing them with local employees. To achieve these goals, the investor is required (again, through good policies) to continuously train the local staff, with the goal of preparing them to take higher and more decision making functions. Doing all this will in the long run makes the local population more knowledgeable and competent in the world economy. Hence, the transfer of technology/knowledge into the host country.

We need to become global competitor by taking advantage of potential know-how brought in by these global companies. This is how all emerging markets have been doing and are continuing to do. Look at Brazil, they are now building their own Aircraft, have become expert in oil drilling. Look at China they are now manufacturing everything that the Europeans/Americans are making. Where do you think Brazil and China got this knowledge from?? It is because of knowledge transfer through good investment policies.

We need to encourage technology/knowledge diffusion, otherwise totabaki makuli tuu and consumers of imported "white goods"



Disclaimer; I am not an economist, just a concerned Mzawa!

Mkuu umezungumza point and what i think is the other side of the coin we should be looking.

But the problem lies to our "Leaders"..............may GOD help us ameen

 

[Sailor Boy]

from celtel to zain nw to airtel, sasa Tanzania nayo itauzwa na kiwete muomba misaada cjui itaitwaje?:redfaces:

 

[chokambayaa]

Na hii Airtel itapata tax relief ya miaka mitano tena? Mbona wataua........