By AdamaMakasuba
The Gambia government has issued an operational license to a new GSM operator, Giraffe Telecom, which will see five mobile GSM operators in the country.
Speaking at West Coast Road during the early morning Coffee Time with Peter Gomez talk show, Ebrima Sillah, Minister of Information and Communication said: “Yes, I can emphatically confirm that we issued a license for a fifth operator in this country, and it is about the necessity. Of course, there is a space for a fifth operator it’s all good for the Gambian customers.”
“If we have a new company, of course these others will start looking at their back and then see what this new player is going to compete in the market and competition is good for the Gambian people,” he added.
According to him, they have looked a number of factors from the operational level, from the regulator to the policy and the spectrum of availability, adding that: “PURA some months ago did a consultancy on a usage of spectrum and it’s a fact that almost 75 percent or more of the entire spectrum of the country is in the hands of two operators and sometimes they are not being used.”
“So, the spectrum alignment consultancy was meant to ensure that you keep what you pay for and what you use and the rest should return back to the state and ensure its reused or for other purposes.
“Looking at the market structures of GSM companies in this country, almost all of them with exception of Gamtel are majority foreign owned. This one when it came before use: one important criteria, we asked who are the owners, what are the majority shareholders and we discovered through the documentation presented to us that between 60 and 70 percent are owned by ordinary Gambians who are doing business in this country,” he added.
Meanwhile, he continued: “I see no reason why we should not empower our own people to set up businesses in this sector for money to remain here. When you give a license as it is with all the others that are having their current licenses, you have a window to deploy your equipment, test them and then fire life.”