Malitel has finally secured permission to begin offering 4G services in the country, Agence Ecofin reports. Following a meeting of Mali’s Council of Ministers earlier this week, the government reportedly approved a draft decree which made an addendum to the cellco’s existing concession allowing for the provision of LTE-based services. The amendment to its concession also includes coverage obligations and quality of service (QoS) requirements for 4G services.
As noted in TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, in November 2017 the government confirmed that it had finalised the technical specifications for a 4G licence for Malitel, but financial negotiations were still said to be ongoing at that date. Prior to that, the authorities had issued a 4G concession to Orange Mali in July 2017, at a cost of XOF100 billion (around USD174,000); financial details of Malitel’s licence upgrade were not reported.