Makampuni ya Simu za mkono na DSE

A bill forcing mobile phone operators to be listed at DSE passed

JIANG ALIPO, 29th January 2010 @ 10:45, Total Comments: 0, Hits: 171

The parliament has just passed a bill that will force mobile phone operators to be listed in local stock markets, such as the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE).

Tabling the Electronic and Postal Communications Bill of 2009 in the parliament this noon, the Minister for Communications, Science and Technology, Prof Peter Msolla said that listing stock market is expected to increase participation of more people in the economy.

Moreover, the bill will also force mobile phone operators to share infrastructure, thus reduce costs of investment and costs of doing business for mobile phone operators.

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Mobile phone firms to list on DSE
By Rodgers Luhwago
30th January 2010

Penalty for not registering SIM card 1m/-
Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE).

Mobile phone operators will now be required to list their companies on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE), following the passing of the Electronic and Postal Communication Bill, 2009 by the Parliament yesterday.

The Bill also makes it mandatory for all mobile phone users to register their SIM cards, failure of which would attract a fine of 1m/-. The imposition of such penalty would start after the SIM cards registration deadline, which is June this year.

Deliberating on the Bill tabled earlier by Minister for Communications, Science and Technology Prof Peter Msolla, Members of Parliament said the law would enable citizens to actively participate in their national economy by buying shares to be floated by the companies and instil a sense of discipline in the mobile phone users.

The legislators condemned what they said was an attempt by some mobile phone companies to bribe some lawmakers in a bid to block the Bill at the preliminary stages.

Ponsiano Nyami (CCM- Nkasi) told the House that some mobile phone operators tried their best to seek support of some MPs to block the Bill.

“These mobile phone companies earn billions of shillings in revenues every year. Yet they don’t want to list on the DSE. This is unacceptable because in so doing, they deny our citizens of an opportunity to actively participate in their national economy,” said Nyami.

Godfrey Zambi (CCM- Mbozi East) hailed the government’s decision of ordering all mobile phone companies to list shares on the DSE. However, he said in the future all companies in the country should be forced do so irrespective of the business they are indulging in.

“I don’t understand why mobile phone operators are very much worried by this Bill. I guess their fear is based on the fact that their financial statements and revenues will now be judiciously scrutinized,” he said.

He said it is high time Tanzania emulated the example of Malaysia that has registered about 500 companies on its stock exchange market as opposed to Tanzania that has registered only 15 companies in DSE up to now.

Zambi explained that having mobile companies register with DSE will facilitate the payment of actual taxes to the government and counter cheating in financial statements and revenues since the auditing would be of international standards.

“For how long shall we continue inviting investors to open up business here while allowing them to float shares in others countries’ stock exchanges?” he asked.

Vodacom Tanzania is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa; Zain (MTC) on the Kuwait Stock Exchange while Tigo (MIC Tanzania Ltd) is listed the New York Stock Exchange in the US.

Mohamed Habib Mnyaa (CUF- Mkanyageni) called upon the government to rationalize the use of towers to enable mobile phone companies share a single tower in a specific area instead of allowing each company to install its own.

He also wanted the Bill to bar school children from accessing mobile phones, a fact that, he said, contributed to their failure in schools. “I have read this Bill but I have not seen any section that disciplines school children when it comes to access mobile phones, because, in my view, mobile phones contributes to failure in most children.

Ulanga West MP, Dr Juma Ngasongwa (CCM) said there is no way a country could build a modern economy without having a legal framework that requires companies to register themselves with the stock exchange market.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

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Local partners win big in forced listing of telcos

By MIKE MANDE (Source The EastAfrian)
Posted Monday, February 8 2010 at 00:00

A new law passed by Tanzania’s parliament last week that will force local telecoms firms to list on the Dar es Salaam stock exchange could transform the country’s capital markets — and create a new class of well-connected, super-wealthy entrepreneurs.

In the coming three years, Dar es Salaam could find itself becoming a regional centre for raising debt and equity capital for telecoms companies in the region as six players list in transactions that are likely to be worth tens of billions of dollars, rivalling Nairobi and Kampala.

It is now emerging that far from hurting foreigners who hold majority stakes in five of the country’s six operators, the biggest beneficiaries from these laws are local business people who teemed up with strategic investors to bid for mobile phone licences.

While the government has been marketing the law as intended to both wipe out tax avoidance and widen local shareholding of telecoms and media companies, it opens a revolving door that allows the business establishment to sell their illiquid investments to the common man.

Some of these local investors — most of whom are financial, rather than trade investors — have over the past two years reportedly been looking for buyers for these stakes in Tanzania’s leading mobile phone companies.

Strategic investors

As long as strategic investors were not willing to list on the DSE, these stakes remained illiquid investments, which are hard to value either to track the performance of one’s assets or to use as security to borrow money from banks.

The Tanzanian government will also be a big winner in a complicated cross-shareholding deal involving its investments in Zain Tanzania and Tanzania Telecommunication Ltd (TTCL), the state-telco.


Mid last year, in a story reported by Reuters, Peter Msolla, Tanzania’s Minister for Communications, Science and Technology was quoted as saying that Zain had asked to be allowed to give up its 35 per cent stake in TTCL.

“Recently, Celtel has shown interest in exiting. But there’s a need for consultation before that happens,” said Mr Msolla, adding Zain, TTCL and Consolidated Holdings Corp holds shares in state-run corporations on the government’s behalf.

“In principle, they have agreed to end the partnership and Celtel exits. Celtel’s 35 per cent shareholding will revert to the government. We will continue talks on how to offload those shares,” he said. The government holds the other 65 per cent of TTCL.

Tanzania last year ended a three-year contract worth $5 million with SaskTel International, a subsidiary of Canada’s SaskTel, to manage TTCL.

“They left officially on July 12, so now it’s like TTCL is starting afresh and is under interim leadership,” Mr Msolla said.

State monopoly

TTCL, formerly a state-owned fixed-line monopoly, has 166,656 subscribers, according to the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority.

The fixed line business went into free fall over most of the past decade, from 173,591 subscribers in 2000 to 123,809 in 2008, only to recover to 181,671 in 2009.

With Zain’s exit, the government will need to recapitalise TTCL. One source of such funds is selling the 40 per cent stake that the Tanzania government holds in the local operations of Zain.

The same pattern could evolve at Zantel, the fourth largest player with 1.2 million subscribers, which is 51 per cent owned by Etisalat, the UAE-based mobile operator.

The minority shares are held by the government of Zanzibar, Kinbary and Meeco.

Millicom, an international operator, which bought out the remaining 16 per cent interest from local shareholders for a reported $1.33 million, could be one player that would like to dispose a chunk of its shares through the market.

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EA mobile phone market to experience a period of growth

By KUI KINYANJUI (The EastAfrican)
Posted Monday, February 8 2010 at 00:00

The East African mobile phone market is set for a period of growth as operators tap into the largely unexploited masses.

Experts estimate that out of the total population of 121.9 million only 37.6 million or 30.8 per cent are active subscribers.

However, as operators widen the net to capture the mass market, the average revenue generated per user is expected to fall forcing these firms to expand their Internet data offerings.

New services such as cable television and mobile money transfer will drive the strategic focus of players in the telecoms field in the region in the next five years.

According to a new report from industry researchers Frost & Sullivan on the region's mobile markets, economic growth is expected to grow by 1.3 per cent for every 10 per cent increase in high-speed Internet connections.

Frost says there are over 19 companies angling for a share of the mobile market that will be worth $9 billion in five years.

At the top of every company heads agenda is how to create business synergies for the growth of trade within the region.

"As much Kenya is a focus for us, we exist in a region that is set to grow exponentially. How do we tap into that growth? This is what informs strategy," said Mickael Ghossein, Telkom Kenya CEO.

Frost says although 65 per cent of the total revenues for mobile firms are expected to come from voice segment in the next five years, new areas like mobile money transfer and data beckon.

The realisation of a large regional economic bloc encompassing Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda with a combined population of more than 125 million people, and a combined Gross Domestic Product of $60 billion, represents enormous opportunity to any investor.

For ICT firms, the shift in policy that has seen the formalisation of the East African bloc is secondary to the cross-border growth that has seen subscriber numbers escalate at super normal rates over the last ten years.

The signing of the EAC Common Market Protocol last year, is being seen by industry as the catalyst for cross-border growth.

"Our strategy has always been crafted at a regional level; we play in all markets and the EAC will bring about more opportunities for us to leverage the footprint we already have in place," said Dorothy Ooko, Nokia's Communication Manager for the region.

The key drivers in these markets include strong gross domestic product growth rates, increasing demand for mobile money transfer services and declining handset costs.

"East African consumers are spending more on mobile communications due to the low fixed-line network coverage, underdeveloped banking systems and the current limited availability of inexpensive handsets," said Frost & Sullivan ICT analyst Jiaqi Sun.

This is due to the low level of fixed-line market penetration and the high proportion of population using voice service as a means for telecommunications.

Kenya has the highest number of active subscribers and revenues among the four countries studied by Frost in its review of the region's mobile markets.

Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda are, however, likely to witness a significant surge in growth over the next seven years due to increasing network investments, continuing product innovation and reduced handset costs.

Tanzania and Rwanda promise the biggest growth markets - growing by 29.4 per cent and 25 per cent respectively.

Tanzania most competitive

Tanzania is among the most competitive markets in the region, playing host to seven operators *- with four more expected in the near future *- earning it the highest score on competitiveness in Frost's report.

The country's economy has been showing solid growth rates of between 5 per cent and 8 per cent every year since 2000.

Growing at more than 40 per cent per annum, the mobile market passed the 14 million mark mid last year with just four companies * -Vodacom, Zain, Tigo and Zantel * -in operation.

At a penetration level of less than 40 per cent, growth is set to continue even as average revenue per user continues to fall.

"The driver is mobile. Mobile is an attractive option for those interested in the sector," said John Nkoma, director-general of the Tanzanian Communications Regulatory Authority.

Often painted as the poster child for regional ICT development, Rwanda has been tipped by Frost to enjoy the highest rate of growth.

Although it is the least competitive and price sensitive market * with just two operators, Rwanda's annual compound growth rate is estimated to hit 29.4 per cent this year.

Mobile penetration is still significantly below the regional average, mostly due to a vicious genocide and a monopolistic market where South Africa's MTN operated alone until 2006, but now competes with Rwandatel and Millicom.

The prospect of intensified competition has sparked a new subscriber growth phase with over 100 per cent per annum, but at the same time the average revenue per user has fallen below $10 per month.

Frost predicts Uganda will enjoy sluggish growth this year, with the highly competitive market set to continue being highly price sensitive.

Intensified competition has meant that monumental amounts have been invested into new infrastructure, but it has also led to an unsustainable price war.

ARPUs in Uganda, which is host to five mobile firms, have already started to fall as competition nips into profits, calling for a realignment in business operations for operators.

Orange Uganda recently selected Alcatel-Lucent to build, operate and manage the Orange Uganda mobile network, by providing technical support, repair, field maintenance, and program management services.

"Our goal is to focus on our core business, and Alcatel-Lucent helps us achieve this by providing a comprehensive maintenance services portfolio, global delivery capability, and strong technical skills we need to help us deliver enhanced services more reliably to our customers," said Philippe Luxcey, CEO of Orange Uganda.

Similar developments are taking place in Kenya, where a similar infrastructure deal was signed between Zain and Nokia-Siemens.

Frost says Kenya's growth rate is set to decline as the market nears saturation, with the country expected to enjoy just 17.6 per cent growth in its annual compound growth rate.

Data use has also surged over the last year, with the number of mobile Internet users overtaking those accessing through traditional means in just 12 months.

"Despite tough economic times in the past year, people continue to adopt technology such as mobile browsing especially when it helps them overcome their hardships," said Jon von Tetzchner, CEO Opera Software.

With players in all markets facing declining ARPUs, Frost recommends adopting data services like mobile Internet access by leveraging the revenue-generating ability of mobile handsets and increasing minutes of service usage.

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jamesmwaikambo said:

Kwa nini TTCL hawataki kujitangaza kwa nguvu kama mashirika mengine ya simu yafanyavyo katika kuuzahuduma zao hasa kwenye simu za mkononi. Nadhani tuwe waangalifu isije ikawa kuna fisadi ndani ya TTCL anayepata 10% kuzuia jitihada za kiushindani. Watanzania Tuamke!

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Lambardi said:

Hilo ndilo lilimtoa Prof Msola,kwenye uwaziri wake!maana alilikomalia sana akiwa mzalendo wa kweli!lakini mafisadi wakamgeuzia kibao akaonekana msaliti!sasa anajuta kujifanya mzalendo wa kweli!

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