New Zantel CEO promises bright future
What you need to know:
- The company commands 3pc subscribers base
- Promises to expand network to 22 regions
Dar es Salaam. Zantel’s new chief executive officer Mr Sherif El Barbary has outlined his focus in the telecommunication operator promising bright future after completion of network modernization.
Next year the company is expected to modernize its network that will improve provision of both data and voice services.
Zantel has three percent subscription market share as of June 2017 but Mr El Barbary said at the weekend that once the modernisation is completed, it will ensure coverage of 22 regions with 4G infrastructure hence steering Zantel to the new heights in the competitive telecom industry.
“We intend to follow where our customers are and give them what they deserve by making sure we manage costs and generate income aligning to our mission and vision,” he said.
Other areas of focus during his tenure include the Zantel wholesale and enterprises business which he said is key for business.
Zantel manages two fibre optic undersea cables with landing points at Zantel Park in Dar es Salaam. These submarine cables connect to landlocked countries which no longer have to rely on satellite internet access to carry voice and data services.
He also promised to improve the quality of the products and services including mobile financial services like EzyPesa which is the first to launch both conventional and the Mobile Islamic Banking services in partnership with People’s Bank of Zanzibar in Zanzibar, where 85 per cent of its base resides.
“So we promise a bright future coming to our customers” added El Barbary.
Zantel is currently owned 85 per cent by Millicom International and 15 per cent of shareholding is owned by Zanzibar government.
Mr El Barbary fills in the position that was being held by Mr Benoit Janin for one and 10 months. He brings more than 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry.
Prior to joining Zantel, Mr El Barbary has been a chief technical and information officer for Tigo in Chad and was also acting as General Manager in Chad for 3 months at the beginning of the year.
Mr El Barbary spent six years at Huawei, before joining Millicom. He also spent six years as chief operating officer for Glextel, a service provider of wireless and fixed networks, overseeing the 10 operations of the company across Africa and the Middle East.
He also worked for Lucent Technologies and then spent a few years in North America working for Hewlett Packard, CML and Telus where he gained commercial experience as head of channel operations.
