Zamtel

Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited
State-owned enterprise
Industry Telecommunications
Founded 1994
Headquarters Lusaka
Key people
 Sydney Mupeta
CEO
Products Telecommuncations services
Internet services
Landline services
Cellularphone services
Revenue ~ Approximately K 400 Billion Annually
Number of employees
 ~ Approximately 750
Website Homepage

Zamtel, whose official name is Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited, is a government-owned telecommunication service provider in Zambia. Zamtel is one of three mobile phone networks in the country; the others are Airtel and MTN.[1]

History

The first telephone exchange was installed in Livingstone, as part of the General Post Office (GPO).[2] In 1975, the GPO transformed into the Zambian Post and Telecommunication Corporation (PTC).[3]

In July 1994 the government of Zambia passed a Telecommunications Act that led to the splitting up of the Post and Telecommunications Corporation into two separate companies: the Zambia Postal Services Corporation (Zampost), and the Zambia Telecommunications Company (Zamtel). The Company falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communications of Zambia.[3]

In 2010, the Zambian government, under the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) President, Rupiah Banda, sold 75% of the Zamtel to the Libyan company, LAP Green Networks. The government claimed it had done so in order to keep Zamtel from shutting down after plans to recapitalize it had failed. This was a contentious move however, as some critics claimed the company was still economically viable.[4] The 2011 Zambian national election saw the incumbent MMD party replaced by the opposition Patriotic Front (PF). The newly elected government, under President Michael Sata, set out an inquiry into the sale of Zamtel because they believed it was sold fraudulently by the previous government. The inquiry produced a report that showed irregularities in the manner in which Zamtel was sold, alleging that LAP Green and RP Capitals, which was appointed as financial advisor, bribed senior Zambian government officials; an allegation that both LAP Green and RP Capitals denied.[5] As a result of the findings, President Michael Sata ordered a reversal of the $257 million deal and the government of Zambia seized control of Zamtel.[6]

In 2013, LAP Green sued the government of Zambia in a British court in order to reclaim ownership of Zamtel. The Zambian government agreed that it would compensate LAP Green for its investments, but it would not let ownership of the company be transferred back to the Libyan operator.[7][8]

Location

The head office of the company is located in Zamtel House, at the corner of Chilubi Road and Church Road, in the Zambian capital city of Lusaka.[9] The coordinates of Zamtel House are 15°24'57.0"S, 28°17'44.0"E (Latitude:-15.415828; Longitude:28.295550).[10]

Services

Services offered by the company include the following:[11]

  • Zamtel Land-line Services - Zamtel is the sole fixed-line service provider with approximately 80,000 lines country-wide
  • Zamtel Prepaid - Prepaid mobile phone service that allows users to top-up minutes using scratch cards
  • Zamtel Mobile Internet - Internet access for mobile devices or computers.
  • Zamtel International Roaming service - International roaming service that allows users to stay connected wherever they are in the world.

Corporate governance

Sydney is a seasoned Engineer and technology leader. He brings to Zamtel 12 years experience in planning, designing, operating and modernizing of Telecommunication networks in Central and East Africa. At Zamtel, he is tasked with driving the Technology Strategy of Zamtel that will see network modernization to enhance quality and availability of services. Sydney holds a Master's Degree in Communication Engineering (University of Manchester, UK) and Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Telecommunication (University of Zambia). Sydney worked for Ericsson East Africa as Head of Design & Planning and for Celtel as Senior Planning Engineer. At Ericsson, Sydney setup the Design and Planning Organisation which was responsible for technology roadmap and migration for Airtel networks in the region. While at Celtel, Sydney was involved in the establishment of the Planning Section and planned the network which saw growth from a few hundreds of thousand subscribers to over two million subscribers. Sydney's dynamic personality enabled him to successfully handle Sales. While at Ericsson, Sydney brought to the Company tens of millions of dollars in revenue when he was a Senior Customer Solution Sales Manager. Sydney is the current chairman of the National Task Force on Digital Migration of Television for the Republic of Zambia.

The Industrial Development Corporation in August 2017 appointed a new board of directors for Zamtel. The Board of Directors for Zamtel comprises Claire Limbwabwa, Misheck Lungu, Justin Chola, Bob Musenga, Danny Luswili and Francis Musonda.

(Corporate Governance UK Code)[12]

References

  1. ↑ TechTrends Staff (14 January 2014). "Data Bundle Comparisons of Airtel, MTN and Zamtel". Lusaka: Techtrends.co.zm. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  2. ↑ Ebizguides.com (2006). "The History of Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited (ZAMTEL)". Ebizguides.com. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  3. 1 2 Zamtel (9 September 2016). "The History of Zamtel". Lusaka: Zamtel. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  4. ↑ Malakata, Michael (12 January 2012). "Zambian government reverses sale of Zamtel to Libya's Lap Green". London: Pcadvisor.co.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  5. ↑ Malakata, Michael (4 December 2014). "Zambia pays loan for Libya's Lap Green, but Zamtel case continues". San Francisco, California, USA: Pcworld.com. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  6. ↑ BBC News (24 January 2012). "Zambia: President Sata reverses Libyan Zamtel sale". London: British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  7. ↑ BAAC News (5 April 2013). "Zambia: UK to host Lap Green Networks' Zambia lawsuit". London: Balancingact-Africa.com (BAAC): Issue Number 649. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  8. ↑ Business News (30 July 2015). "Zamtel, Lap Green Networks saga deepens". Lusaka: Lusaka Voice. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  9. ↑ Zamtel (9 September 2016). "Zamtel: Get In Touch With Our Company". Lusaka: Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited (Zamtel). Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  10. ↑ Google (9 September 2016). "Location of the Headquarters of Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited (Zamtel)" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  11. ↑ Zamtel (9 September 2016). "Services Offered by Zamtel". Lusaka: Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited (Zamtel). Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  12. ↑ Zamtel. "Zamtel Management: Meet The Team". Lusaka: Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited (Zamtel). Retrieved 9 September 2016.

Coordinates: 15°24′57″S 28°17′44″E / 15.41583°S 28.29556°E / -15.41583; 28.29556

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