Sebastien Crozier, CEO of Orange Group’s Orange Horizons division has confirmed that if the company had access to spectrum in South Africa it would become a mobile network operator (MNO) ‘tomorrow’. Previously, the company revealed its intention to become a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), but it has been critical of a lack of legislation covering that sector of the industry in South Africa. However, in an interview with BusinessTech Crozier said that given the frequency ‘we could enter the market as a real player … if you have frequency, you are an MNO … we are always interested in becoming an MNO in a country where there is opportunity. We think that South Africa is a very interesting market’. Frequency is the equivalent of a licence, he added.
As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, in January this year Orange Horizons launched with a view to seeking out new business opportunities in countries where the French group is not already present as a mass-market telecoms provider. The group already sells products in South Africa through its website, and has a business unit serving high profile companies in the mining and petroleum industries.