China Mobile forges links with MTN South Africa, signs MoU viewing rest of Africa
The Chief Executive of MTN South Africa, Godfrey Motsa, announced this week his mobile telecommunications company has forged a partnership with China Mobile International Limited with a view to bring the cost of telephony, especially roaming, down significantly.
Fleshing out the partnership deal, China Mobile International has opened offices in Johannesburg stating that the Chinese Embassy in South Africa will continue to provide support to Chinese enterprises to invest in South Africa, and work together to build monument and a model for China Africa cooperation.
China’s Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Chen Zhaoxiong confirmed that South Africa is one of China’s important partners, as can also be seen in the growing cooperation in the information and communication technology.
“The “eight major initiatives” announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation has opened up broad opportunities for China and Africa to expand cooperation in various fields. China Mobile is expected to adhere to the concept of win-win cooperation and compliance management, to provide high-quality and convenient services that will better benefit local people,” said Mr Chen.
“Starting from this, China Mobile should continue to promote cooperation with other countries and contribute to the development of China Africa relations. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will further strengthen cooperation with communications authorities of South Africa, and jointly bring the information and communication cooperation between China and South Africa to a new level,” he continued.
Zhao Zhongyi of the Chinese Embassy in Pretoria indicated that, as the top mobile operator in China and the world, China Mobile’s decision to enter South Africa serves as the gateway for China Mobile to strengthen the southern African market while further influencing the entire African market.
China Mobile International has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for strategic alliance with the MTN Group that operates in the rest of Africa with up to 230 million subscribers and 23 operating companies.
China Mobile International Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Mobile, the world’s largest telecom operator by network scale and subscriber base.
