Tigo Senegal, a wholly owned subsidiary of Millicom International Cellular (MIC), says it has invested more than USD100 million in the country in the last two years to improve its existing services and prepare for the launch of 3G+ services, which started on 16 December this year. Agence Ecofin quotes the unit’s CEO Diego Camberos as saying that the cellco is working with Ericsson to deploy the new network and is intent on reclaiming its second place in the local mobile market – after rival Sudatel Senegal (Expresso) took it this year.
As reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, Senegal’s industry regulator the Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority (L’Autorite de Regulation des Telecommunications et des Postes, ARTP) said that for the three months ending 30 September 2013, mobile growth eased to 0.47% – compared with 3.72% growth in April-June – to reach a total of 12.721 million users. However, erstwhile number three player Expresso leapfrogged second-placed Tigo Senegal to secure a 20.92% share of the market with 2.661 million subscribers, thanks to net additions of 44,190 connections in the period under review. By contrast, the MIC unit shed a net 43,131 lines in the third quarter for a total of 2.638 million, a market share of 20.74%. Meanwhile, Orange Senegal remains the dominant carrier with a market share of 58.34% at the end of September, equivalent to around 7.422 million users.