Long in difficulty on the Gambian national telecoms market, Comium seems to be approaching the end of the tunnel. Monty Mobile, which saved the company from closure last year, wants to step up a gear.
The British company Monty Mobile has announced that it has signed a partnership agreement with the Chinese technology company Huawei to modernise the network of the mobile operator Comium Gambia. This partnership should notably make it possible to strengthen the company on the Gambian market “with revolutionary products and solutions.”
In 2021, Monty Mobile began to invest in Comium Gambia when the latter was threatened with permanent closure by regulator Pura for a D69.1 million (US$1.3 million) debt. The management agreement signed between the two parties provided in particular for the resolution of the financial and network problems faced by Comium Gambia, including the subsequent introduction of 4G and 5G. A supplementary agreement was signed in January last.
These various investments aim to make Comium a competitive operator in the Gambian market, where it has just over 137,000 mobile phone subscribers (around 5% market share), according to the latest Pura statistics. The expected success of this initiative will serve as the basis for the African expansion ambitions of Monty Mobile who want to “pioneer the latest cutting-edge technologies in the African market”.
“As The Gambia is our gateway to Africa, we will ensure that our success paves the way for expansion across the region. We will be showcasing cutting-edge business services tailored to the market, which we will approach in a way that is highly relevant to the people of The Gambia, and from The Gambia to the rest of Africa,” explained Marwan Khoury, managing director of Monty Mobile Gambia in a statement.
Agence Ecofin
