Africell Uganda
Africell Uganda, whose full legal name is Africell Uganda Limited (AUL), is an information and communication technology network company in Uganda.[1] It is the third-largest telecommunications company in the country, by customer numbers.[3]
| Private | |
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | 2014[1] |
| Headquarters | 28–30 Clement Hill Road Nakasero, Kampala, Uganda |
Key people | Ziad Dalloul Group Chairman and Group CEO[2] |
| Services | Telecommunications IT |
| Parent | Africell  |
| Website | Homepage |
Location
The headquarters and main office of AUL are located in the Africell Office Building, at 28–30 Clement Hill Road, on Nakasero Hill in the Central Division of Kampala, the capital and largest city in the country.[4] The coordinates of the company headquarters are 0°19'09.0"N, 32°35'24.0"E (Latitude:0.319169; Longitude:32.589992).[5]
History
Africell Uganda was established in May 2014, when Africell acquired the majority stake that Orange Telecom owned in its Uganda cellular network.[1][6][7] Africell paid $12 million for that stake, inheriting an estimated 1,000,000 subscribers.[2] In November 2014, the Group Chairman and CEO announced plans to invest US$150 million in the next 5 years, to upgrade the Africell network in Uganda.[8]
Subscribers
In 2014, the network subscribers in Uganda were estimated at one million.[2] As of September 2018, its subscriber customer numbers had risen to 2.1 million.[9] In April 2020, the company's website gives the number of subscribers as over 3,000,000.[10] The table below illustrates the progressive customer growth for the company.
| Rank | Date | Subscribers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 2013 | 625,000 | [3] |
| 2 | May 2014 | 1,000,000 | [2] |
| 3 | September 2018 | 2,100,000 | [9] |
| 4 | April 2020 | 3,000,000 | [10] |
Ownership
The table below summarizes the shareholding in the business.[1]
| Rank | Name of Owner | Percentage Ownership |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Africell | 53.0 |
| 2 | Hits Telecom Holding | 47.0 |
| Total | 100.00 | |
Operations
In 2018, Africell Holdings, the parent company of Africell Uganda, secured a loan of US$100 million from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), to expand operations in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Africell Holdings maintains subsidiaries in the Gambia, Sierra Leone, DR Congo and Uganda.[11] As of January 2015, Africell Uganda maintained coverage in the majority of Uganda's geographical area.[12]
References
- Ismail Musa Ladu (20 May 2014). "New company Buys Orange Telecom". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- Zekaria, Simon (14 August 2014). "In Africa, a Telco Disruptor Looks for Gaps Amongst Giants". The Wall Street Journal. New York City. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- Mark Keith Muhumuza (19 May 2014). "Orange Uganda Sold To Africell". Kampala: Uganda Radio Network. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- "About Africell Uganda: Customer Care: Head Office, Clement Hill Road, Kampala". Kampala: Africell Uganda. 26 April 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- Google (24 May 2016). "Location of the Headquarters of Africell Uganda Limited" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- Administrator (19 May 2014). "Orange Uganda Sold to Africell". The Red Pepper. Mukono. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- New Vision (19 May 2014). "Orange sells its stake in Uganda to Africell". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- Nicholas Bariyo (17 November 2014). "Africell Plans to Invest $150 Million to Upgrade Uganda Operations". The Wall Street Journal. New York City. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- John Ivan Kisekka (14 April 2019). "5 things Africell Uganda is doing that the other telecoms should copy". Kampala: Dignited.com. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- Africell Uganda (26 April 2020). "About Africell Uganda". Kampala: Africell Uganda. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- News Agencies (13 November 2018). "Africell Secures $100m Loan To Expand Services In Uganda, DRC". Kamala: The Tower Post. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- Roger Bambino (8 January 2015). "Here are the coverage maps for all voice and data mobile networks in Uganda". Kampala: Techjaja.com. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
