KAMPALA:In a move analysts in Kampala are praising as the future of telecommunications in Africa, India's Netxcell Ltd, is reportedly ready to sign deals with MTN, France's Orange Africa and Vodafone Africa in a move that will see them positioned nicely to enter the $300-million mobile value-added service market in the continent. “We are very excited about this possible deal and hopefully it will mean the roll-out of new and better infrastructure in Africa for telecom operators,” said John Miganbe, a Ugandan ministry of communications official responsible for rural telecom development. He argued that Indian companies understand how to boost rural area development and the future of Africa “is in getting companies that understand the importance of rural development into the mix.” According to officials and local media reports in Africa, the advanced talks with the firms are looking to deliver services on both 2G and 3G networks, including customer lifecycle management solutions on the pre-paid and post-paid platforms. Netxcell currently operates in Africa through its Mauritius-based subsidiary Netxcell Mauritius (NML). Over the coming 6 months, NML will launch operations in Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Ghana, Mozambique and Angola, a top company executive with direct knowledge of the matter told ET. The company is present in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Sudan and Uganda. Parent Netxcell is the telecoms software arm of Hyderabad-based Prathima Group that has interests in technology, healthcare, medical education, construction, engineering and entertainment. “We plan to deliver the full spectrum of mobile VAS solutions to MTN, France Telecom-controlled Orange Africa and Vodacom. Since 3G has already gained traction in key Africa markets unlike in India, a lot of our applications will be tailor made for 3G networks,” Netxcell CEO Debasish Chatterji said in a press release. BM
