Vietnam to build a telecommunication network in Tanzania

Ambassador Mbelwa Kairuki, Director of the Department of Asia and Australasia in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation holds discussions with H.E. Vo Thanh Nam, Vietnamese Ambassador to Tanzania who paid a courtesy call at the Ministry. 

The two Ambassadors discussed, among other issues, strengthening bilateral relations that exist between Tanzania and Vietnam and the establishment of the Vietnamese state owned telecom company Viettel in Tanzania.

Vietnamese Telecom Company to invest US$ 720 million in Tanzania

 

Viettel Group plans to invest in Tanzania the amount of US$ 720 million to build a nationwide telecommunication network in all regions.  The Company is the Vietnamese state owned telecom giant.

Unveiling the new plan was the new Vietnamese Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania, His Excellency Vo Thanh Nam, who paid a courtesy visit to the Director for Asia and Australasia, Ambassador Mbelwa Kairuki, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation recently in Dar es Salaam.

The announcement comes almost 3 years after Hon.Mizengo Pinda, the Prime Minster of Tanzania, made an official visit to Vietnam, in which he invited the Telecom Group to invest in the country.

According to Ambassador Vo Thanh Nam, the multi-million dollar investment to be implemented in two phases, will be used to setup a national network - targeting 95 percent coverage, and allow 50-60% of Tanzanians to access the Internet at relatively lower charges.

As part of the Group’s commitment to support Tanzania’s e-Learning initiative, Viettel has also pledged to provide free internet access to all public schools in Tanzania which already have electricity. The proposed free internet initiative will significantly boost Tanzania’s effort to narrow the digital gap and expand its e-Leaning programme across the country.

Viettel is among the world’s top 15 telecom operators with more than 60 million subscribers spread across six countries.The Telecom Group has annual turnover of approximately US$ 6 billion (2011), with an average growth rate of around 20% a year.

Welcoming the Vietnamese investment, the Director for Asia and Australasia, Ambassador Mbelwa Kairuki said: “Viettel’s investment into Tanzania is a testimony that Tanzania is open for business. We welcome more Vietnamese companies to invest in other areas identified under the “Big Results Now” initiative.”

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