Expresso Telecom, Senegal’s third largest mobile network operator (MNO) by subscribers, has announced it activated a new 4G network on 3 March prior to launching commercial services on 31 March, reports Agence Ecofin citing Fatou Sow Kane, the telco’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer. The executive revealed Expresso is also planning to upgrade its 3G network to address the poor data transmission speeds and service availability experienced in some areas of the country. The planned infrastructure investment is expected to expand 3G network coverage from 45% to 70% of population, while the operator’s 2G network footprint will be increased from 87% to 90%.
Expresso Telecom, which is owned by UAE-based Expresso Telecom Group Limited, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Sudanese telecoms operator Sudatel Telecom Group (STG), is keen to make up ground on market leader Orange, which launched Senegal’s first 4G network in July 2016 and LTE-A services two years later, and rival Free (formerly Tigo), whose LTE-A service was introduced in October 2019.