Monrovia – Mr. Varney Jarsey, the indicted Liberia National Student Union President has received a boost as he fights off allegations of rape.

Report by Bettie K. Johnson Mbayo, bettie.mbayo@frontpageafricaonline.com

The accused’s legal counsel has requested the court to cite National Elections Commission and telecommunications giant, Cellcom to show the actual age of his accuser.

Jarsey was indicted on December 30 for statutory rape and incarcerated at the Monrovia Central Prison in November 2016.

An application for writs of subpoena Duces Tecum and Attestifcadum grew from the motion to admit to bail filed by his legal lawyers.

The 5-counts averred that the defendant believed that the victim (private prosecutrix) claimed before court that she was 13-14 years of age committed perjury.

The defendant’s lawyer added that the victim registered to vote in the 2017 Presidential and General Election.

“Applicant (Defendant) also says that victim (private prosecutrix) has also obtained a cell mobile number from the Cellcom communication company which the details of her particulars reveal in the registration at Cellcom that she is an adult and is believed to be 18 years or more,” the subpoena stated.

Count 4 averred that the victim misled the Government of Liberia, the prosecutors, the investigators, and the Court.

“To inflict the charges against the defendant thereby charging and indicting him for the crime of statutory rape in order to make it difficult for him to be granted bail”

“Applicant (Defendant) says he most respectfully prays court for the issuance of the writs of subpoena Decus Tecum and Attestificadum to be issued on the management of Cellcom Communication Company to produce the voter registration records of the private prosecutrix who registered in Mamba Point area in order to vote in the Liberia 2017 General and Presidential elections,” the subpoena states.

According to the indictment which was crafted by the grand jurors of Montserrado County, 30-year-old Jarsey raped the 15-year-old under loud music upon her return with a loaf of bread he had sent her to buy for him.

According to the indictment, Jarsey intentionally left his living room where he was when he sent her and went into his room awaiting her to bring the bread.

The 15-year-old told Police investigators that when she entered Jarsey’s room, he immediately locked the door pushed her onto his bed and forcibly penetrated her, while the music was intentionally turned up load so that no one could hear her shout or calling for help.

The indictment indicated that Jarsey admitted to Police investigators that he had some sort of interaction with the victim on the same date and time she claimed to have been raped.

The indictment disclosed that details from the medical report were consistent with the accusations levied against Jarsey.

According to the medical report which was submitted to the Police, the victim hymen had multiple scars.

Her private part, according to medical report, was widely dilated with whitish discharge.

Jarsey was also in flight as of the date of complaint till November 15 when he reported himself to the Police upon a call from Inspector General of Police where he voluntarily admitted that he interacted with the victim on the crime scene on the said date and time of the crime.

The LINSU President is being held in pretrial detention at the Monrovia Central Prison. It is not clear when his trial will commence.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is expected to call back the Legislature from their legislative recess to pass laws increasing some taxes and introducing new ones. According to a source within the Presidency, the move is necessary to address the anticipated shortfall in revenue to service the new budget.

The source indicated that President Sirleaf has already discussed the recall with the leadership of the Legislature, who seem amenable to returning next week. One of the main targets of the tax increases is the telecom sector, where the Government is expected to impose new taxes on all calls, including international calls.

According to the recent Fifth and Sixth IMF Review Mission, despite the “Successful elimination of the Ebola Virus Disease, the [Liberian] economy is still not recovering. GDP in 2016 is now projected to contract by 0.5 percent, mainly due to continued weakness of commodity exports, including lower-than-expected gold production, and the impact of the United Nations Mission to Liberia (UNMIL) withdrawal. Inflation is also rising due mainly to the pace of depreciation of the Liberian dollar in the past months, and is expected to reach almost 9 percent on average this year.”

With the contraction of the Liberian economy and the rise in inflation, that means less jobs and increase in the cost of living. The Government’s response to this problem is to increase the tax on the Liberian people. Most sound economists would actually propose measures to stimulate economic growth such as reducing taxes, increasing investment incentives, and austerity in government spending.

The telecommunications sector is one of the sectors targeted for tax increases. According to a telecom insider, “the Government wants to impose taxes on international calls and all calls made within the country. They want to make telecom companies pay for the free calls they are offering.

If they succeed, this would be the end of the popular 3-Day call promotion that many Liberians depend on. The cost of making international calls will also go up. Government officials will not be affected by these increases because they get free monthly allowance of scratch cards.”

The measures were originally proposed by Lonestar/MTN Chairman and Presidential candidate Mr. Benoni Urey who called on the Government to impose taxes on free calls as a way of raising government revenue. Urey’s suggestion was severely criticized by Liberians with radio talk shows overloaded by calls from concerned callers.

Many callers threatened that Urey’s quest for the presidency would certainly come to an end if he continued with such a suggestion. Coincidentally, Mr. Urey has never mentioned the proposed tax since the controversy erupted.

According to an industry expert, “the whole premise of the Government is faulty. The assumptions for the tax increase is that revenue will increase with increase in taxes. There is nothing farther than the truth. Increase taxes will mean higher cost to the consumers, who have a limited purchasing capacity. Essentially, consumers will call less to adopt to the increase in cost.

As for international calls, most consumers are now using such apps as Whatsapp, Viper, and Facetime to make their international calls. With the increase in the cost of international calls, one can expect an increase in the use of such free apps which would surely negatively impact sales and revenue. Lastly, it is illegal and preposterous to expect to collect taxes where there are no sales, thus no revenue or income.”

Other targets for taxation include alcoholic beverages and tobacco products. However, concern has been raised that the proposed increase in taxes on alcoholic beverages is unfair because the same increase is proposed for both imported and locally produced products. One case in point is the local brewery that produces beer.

Monrovia Brewery employs many Liberians and even provide income opportunity for even more Liberians through its value and supply chains. Applying the same taxes on Heineken and Club beer for instance would undermine the competitiveness of a local industry that is already challenged with high cost of electricity, water, and a small market.

The Administration’s attempt to increase taxes at a period of economic recession will be the first major challenge for the newly elected Speaker of the House of Representative, Emmanuel Nuquay. Speaker Nuquay has already been labeled as an ally of the Executive, but the increase in taxes by the House when all their members will be up for re-election next October may be a risky move, especially when it leads to the cancellation of a popular program such as the telecom’s free 3-day promotion, something that is even used by legislators.

Urey has already learned his lesson and as a resident of West Point put it, “they better know what to play with, and what to leave alone. We the poor people depend on this 3-day call and anybody who cause us to lose it will face the consequences come elections next year.”

Paris, France – Orange announces today that, together with its Senegal-based partner Sonatel, it has completed the acquisition of 100% of the mobile operator Airtel in Sierra Leone. Since the signature of an agreement with Bharti Airtel International (Netherlands) BV (“Airtel”) in January 2016, Orange has obtained all the official approbations necessary to complete this transaction.

Airtel is the leading mobile operator in Sierra Leone with over 1.3 million customers (on the basis of active customers within a 30-day period) for a total population of 6.3 million people.

With a mobile penetration of around 50% of the population, Sierra Leone offers considerable growth potential, particularly at a time when significant investments are underway to extend the operator’s 3G network.

This network, which already offers good coverage in Freetown and other major towns in Sierra Leone, is set to provide internet access to customers living outside major urban areas. 

The investments planned in the coming years will enable customers in Sierra Leone to benefit from the support of the Sonatel group and take advantage of the Orange group’s expertise and momentum in terms of innovation and development of the digital ecosystem.

Following the recent launch of operations in Liberia and Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone becomes the 21st country in Africa and the Middle East to join the Orange group.

Bruno Mettling, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Orange group and Chairman & CEO of Orange MEA (Middle East and Africa), stated: “We are pleased to announce that the acquisition of the mobile operator Airtel in Sierra Leone has been finalised. This new acquisition, which will be consolidated by Sonatel, will further strengthen Orange’s strategic position on the African continent.”

Distributed by APO on behalf of Orange.

About Orange

Orange (www.Orange.com) is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with sales of 40 billion euros in 2015 and 155,000 employees worldwide at 31 March 2016, including 96,000 employees in France.

Present in 28 countries, the Group has a total customer base of 252 million customers worldwide at 31 March 2016, including 191 million mobile customers and 18 million fixed broadband customers. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies, under the brand Orange Business Services.

In March 2015, the Group presented its new strategic plan “Essentials2020” which places customer experience at the heart of its strategy with the aim of allowing them to benefit fully from the digital universe and the power of its new generation networks. Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).

Press contacts: +33 1 44 44 93 93 Tom Wright, tom.wright@orange.com 

Monrovia – The two leading telecommunication operators in Liberia have given contrary views on a proposal by the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the Liberia Revenue Authority to increase taxes on GSM companies by US$0.01 per minute.

Report by: Henry Karmo – henrykarmo@frontpageafricaonline.com

Lonestar Cell and Cellcom, in separate remarks, gave contrasting views on the proposed increment, cautioning the government to do a proper study on the market.

LoneStarCell Deputy CEO, Louis Roberts, warned on Monday at a public hearing conducted by the joint Ways, Means and Finance Committee on the draft Liberia Tax Amendment of 2016, that if the tariff is added, it would be the company shouldering the burden, not ordinary Liberians.

Going contrary, Cellcom vice president for government and regulatory affairs, William Saamoi, said increasing the tariff means a lot of people in Liberia would not be able to afford to make a call as cell phone companies carry the burden of navigating difficult terrains, operating generators etc.

“We lower the tariff, increase the volume—let the people call, let the businesses generate revenue, let the government make money. You do that today, lot of places where we have low tariff, people will not be able to call and as a business entity, if people cannot call and we cannot make profit, we will shut down our operation in those places and remove our sites to those places we can make profit. From then, you have disenfranchised your people by denying them their fundamental rights to communicate,” he told the hearing.

“So we think we should keep the rate as it is, encouraging us operators to invest more into less populated areas so that the people can communicate.” He further warned that additional tax is a double taxation on consumers.

The draft bill

The draft Liberia Tax Amendments Act of 2016, among many things, will include Goods and Services Tax: Amendments to section 1000(b) and Section 1021(b) (tax rate) and 1022 (definitions). The rate of tax is 10 percent of the taxable amount described in section 1025 with exception. Additional 5 percent surtax applies to telecommunications services specified in section 1022 (a) (2).

The amendment is also taking into consideration excise on Tobacco: Amendments to section 1121, Tobacco and Tobacco products. The amendment is proposing excise tax at the rate of 80% of the amount determined under subsection (a) shall be levied on tobacco  and on any product containing tobacco, including cigarettes, cigars, snuff, chewing tobacco, and similar products, whether imported to or manufactured in Liberia.

On the amendment of taxes on alcoholic beverages, water and soft drinks, excise tax at a rate of (45) percent shall be levied on all beverages with alcohol content in excess of one percent, including beer, wine, stout, ale, gin, whisky, bourbon, and other products intended for consumption by mouth that have the requisite alcohol content, whether imported or produced in Liberia, but not including pharmaceutical products or medicinal preparations if certified by the pharmacy board.

Monrovia – There are indications that Liberia’s second largest GSM Company, Cellcom, will shortly pay damages in the amount of US$1.8m this week after jurors at the Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice found the company liable for said amount in damages last week.

Report by Kennedy L. Yangian – kennedylyangian@frontpageafricaonline.com

“We the jurors unanimously agreed that having carefully listened to the case and the evidence produced at the trial; do hereby find Celllcom GSM Company liable to pay the amount of US$1.8 in damages “said the panel of jurors.

The decision of the jurors came as the result of a lawsuit filed to the Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice by lawyers representing the legal interest of Madam Lucia Lamie of the City of Gbarnga in Bong County, claiming damages after the company’s vehicle hit her in August 2012, resulting to the fracture and damage of her spinal cord.

Madam Lamie’s lawyers had initially requested the amount of US$800,000 at the start of the case but the amount was later increased to US$1.6m after the case was transferred to the Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice by the Heritage & Partners Law Firm in Monrovia.

Jurors however decided to increase the amount to US$1.8m dollars while handing down the verdict, based on the gravity of the injury sustained by the victim.

In her complaint, Madam Lamie told the Court she was hit by a white Nissan pick-up bearing a license plate BP #2805, owned by Cellcom on August 18, 2012, while on her way from a local bank in the city of Gbarnga, where she had gone to withdraw some LD$10,000.00.

Madam Lamie claimed the pick-up operated by a man identified as Allie Macavon, negligently drove towards the bike which she was riding and threw it down together with her and the rider, thereby resulting to a serious pelvic fracture and damage to her spinal cord while the rider was seriously lacerated on his head.

The plaintiff continued that after the incident, Police investigation established that the defendant, Allie Macavon was liable for the accident, charging him with traffic violation for reckless driving resulting to injuries and property damage.

According to the plaintiff, she was unable to walk as the result of the accident, thus, she was rushed to the Phebe Hospital where she was examined and found out to have suffered from internal bleeding leaving her to have been transferred to the John F. Kennedy Hospital in Monrovia for further treatment.

At the JFK Hospital, the plaintiff indicated that an X-ray was performed and it was discovered that her syphilis pubis was dislocated and her left interior ramus pubis fractured.

 The plaintiff’s lawyers told the court that based on medical practitioners’ recommendation the plaintiff was taken out of the country for MRI Cat-Scan, to see a neurosurgeon, she was later flown to Ghana by the defendant, and “That as the result of the accident, the plaintiff suffered unbearable pains, mental anguish, inconveniences, absence from school for two years all due to the negligent conduct of the defendant, which warranted the damages.

According to the lawyer, after the plaintiff was brought back home from Ghana following the medical treatment the defendant, Cellcom prepared an agreement to be signed by the victim so that she can  be given USD$4,000.00 as a good will.

Cellcom had argued that the complaint claim of general damages cannot lie under the facts and circumstances that five medical specialists independently concluded that the victim had recovered from the accident.

The Court’s presiding Judge Yussif Kaba is expected to rule in the case at a later date this week although the lawyers representing the defendant, Pierre & Tweh Law Firm has already excepted to the jurors’ liable verdict.

For subscribers and cellular users, this means that the LTE, a first-generation technology, should theoretically reach improved speeds and offer better options for streaming and downloading.

Most regulators in Africa have issued 4G LTE licenses, while many are still in the process of assigning spectrum.

Cellcom Liberia, the mobile operator recently acquired by Orange Group via its Orange Cote d’Ivoire subsidiary, has now joined a growing list of operators to receive the coveted license and enhance the competition for being amongst the first to deploy the fastest mobile Internet speeds in Liberia.

As of early 2013, there were an estimated 300,000 activated LTE SIM cards on the continent, with 94% of those found in South Africa. By the end of 2016, there should be 11 million LTE subscriptions, up from 1.6 million in the first quarter of 2014.

Which Phones Are Compatible

In hopes of staying ahead of the curve, Cellcom, in the hours after its 4G+LTE launch, immediately began notifying its subscribers about the new and endless possibilities with faster internet for HD movies, videos, TV and streaming.

Subscribers were then asked to check if their smartphones were 4G+LTE ready by dialling *583# with a reply prompt immediately notifying them whether the phones were compatibility.

Most smart phones are compatible with the features of the 4G+LTE including: Amazon Fire phone, iPhone 5, 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Blackberry Z10/Z30/Q10/Passport, HTC One M8 & M9, Motorola Nexus 6, LG G Flex 2 & G3, Huawei Honor 6, Galaxy Note 3 & 4, Galaxy Note Edge, Galaxy Note S4, S5 & S6, Sony Xperia Z2 & Z3

In launching its 4G+LTE, Cellcom is hoping that its Long-Term Evolution mobile standard will raise the bar and competition in a country with a little over five million cellular subscribers.

While the initial coverage is limited to Montserrado County, the company is already in the process of rolling out services to other counties in the coming months.

Avisha Marziano, Chief Executive Officer says the advent of LTE in Liberia would ensure that ’customers enjoy the latest high speed internet service’ in the country.

All this coming in the aftermath of the acquisition of Cellcom by Orange Group via its Cote d’Ivoire unit, following an agreement to acquire the Liberian subsidiary at the start of this year.

Cellcom currently serves around 1.4 million subscribers and its Orange linkup is expected to improve services for thousands of subscribers, a point Orange hit home following the announcement of the merger deal:

“Over the next few months, Liberian customers will benefit from the arrival of Orange, one of Africa’s leading players in the telecoms industry. Orange will provide its marketing expertise and world-class technical capability to further strengthen the operator’s established network and enhance customer service.’ Liberia has become the 20th market in Orange Group’s Africa and Middle East footprint.”

Trumpeted as the country’s first 4G network in Liberia, Cellcom prides itself of always pushing the competition envelop with being among the first to acquire the most advanced mobile Internet technology in the world, in hopes of doubling current Internet speeds, while allowing users to experience unprecedented uploads and download speeds.

Vice President Joseph Boakai, agrees. At the launch of the cutting edge technology recently, he marvelled. “Today, I’m proud to tell you that we are changing Liberia with technology.”

For Marziano, the new technology will help a large portion of the population. “We expect this new technology to affect education, the press, health, transportation, security and all aspects of Liberia,” he said.

Mr. Kimmie Weeks, the company’s Chief Corporate Communications Strategist explains that Liberia will now be ahead of many African nations, including South Africa. “With the introduction of this technology, Cellcom has essentially set Liberia ahead of the rest of Africa and on par with Europe and the United States in terms of mobile Internet speeds”.

Today, several countries across the continent are catching the 4G+LTE wave and the list is growing.

In Namibia, the MTC carrier began 4G LTE service in May 2012, claiming speeds 10x faster than before while its main competitor, TN Mobile offered a competing 4G LTE product in November 2013.

Angola’s Movicel took a top-down approach to its deployment of 4G LTE, claiming it is “building an elegant network” to expedite growth in Angola and has expanded to three provinces. Unitel, is main rival, has also been offering LTE since December 2012 and is testing LTE-Advanced as of early 2014.

While Multitel deployed 4G LTE in Luanda as of November 2015. In Tanzania, Smile Telecom is aiming to use 4G LTE to improve socioeconomic conditions in the country and in late 2015 rolled out VoLTE service. Tigo rolled out 4G technology in May 2013 and plans nationwide coverage by the end of 2016. Smart Telecom offers LTE.

TTCL launched 4G LTE in late 2015. Zantel is launching 4G for Zanzibar in early 2016. Vodacom in South Africa launched launched 4G in selected parts of Johannesburg in October 2012. While MTN, Cell C, Telkom (8ta), and Neotel also have 4G LTE offerings. Telkom has deployed LTE-A in select cities.

To date, at least forty-nine countries have one commercial 4G LTE network as a growing list of African mobile operators are launching LTE service in the largest markets. Impressively, 4G service can now be found in a bevy of African nations (28 of them and counting). Another handful should have commercial 4G LTE service within months.

The technological ability and the user demand for such services signal a step forward for African business. Nations with 4G service – even in part of a capital city – are heralded as globally-competitive economic players. At home, the promise of 4G fuels nationalism and hope for social change via technology.

All this means that Liberia, thanks to Cellcom, is on par with the competition, including its regional neighbours. For example, in Nigeria, Smile has LTE service in Ibadan since January 2013 in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Benin City. Swift and Spectranet both launched LTE later in mid-2013.

While Airtel and Globacom have tested LTE in the past, major networks like MTN was still migrating WiMAX to LTE as of late 2015. NITEL plans on rolling out 4G LTE sometime this year.

In next door, Cote d’Ivoire, the YooMee network officially launched TD-LTE for consumers and businesses in April 2014. Formal use of 4G by other operators is expected to be granted sometime this year.

In Ghana, Alcatel-Lucent and Surfline Communications launched 4G LTE in August 2014, Blu also offers 4G while BusyInternet is currently testing the LTE brand.

In Senegal, Orange launched a 4G pilot trial in September 2014, Tigo had a test running through March 2015 and the regulator is calling for 4G license bids by the end of Q1 2016 after the three current mobile operators boycotted the initial request.

Several other countries are considering but are yet to log on to the 4G+LTE. Among them: Egypt announced with the help of Ericsson that it should be going in for the play sometime this year.

 Guinea’s Sotelgui is expecting LTE soon while Togo’s TogoCel launched 4G service in 2015. Chad’s Tigo starting testing the 4G LTE in N’Djamena in July 2014 and Tunisia’s Ooredoo is currently testing 4G in two cities. Tunisie Telecom is testing as well and Commercial 4G LTE will roll-out in 2016.

For the foreseeable future, Marziano and Cellcom are hoping that its subscribers will continue to benefit from cutting edge technology and boost their speed well beyond that of their competition.

“With the new technology, the current browsing speed cellular network will exceed by 100 times that of our competitors and 10 times of 3G network. We have seen an increase in customers consuming cellphones since we broke the monopoly.

Now with new technology like smartphones and l-phones we are in the process of upgrading our networks to make our customers happy and stay ahead of the competition.”

The launch comes just seven years after the LTE was formally submitted as a candidate 4G system to the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), one of the three sectors (divisions or units) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) which coordinates standards for telecommunications globally.

In Liberia, where the trend is catching on, subscribers are already finding it easier to navigate the web and Cellcom is pressing to ensure that the 4G+LTE brand makes the difference as it strives to stay ahead of the competition while giving its subscribers more for their money.

Active (in chronological order of 1st deployment):
Namibia: MTC began 4G LTE service in May 2012, claiming speeds 10x faster than before. TN Mobile offered a competing 4G LTE product in November 2013.
Angola: Movicel is taking a top-down approach to its deployment of 4G LTE. The company claims it is “building an elegant network” to expedite growth in Angola and has expanded to three provinces. Unitel has also offered LTE since December 2012 and is testing LTE-Advanced as of early 2014. Multitel has deployed 4G LTE in Luanda as of November 2015.
Tanzania: Smile Telecom is aiming to use 4G LTE to improve socioeconomic conditions in the country and in late 2015 rolled out VoLTE service. Tigo rolled out 4G technology in May 2013 and plans nationwide coverage by the end of 2016. Smart Telecom offers LTE. TTCL launched 4G LTE in late 2015. Zantel is launching 4G for Zanzibar in early 2016.
Mauritius: Orange launched 4G LTE in May 2012. Emtel began commercial 4G service in July 2012. MTML launched LTE in May 2015.
South Africa: Vodacom launched 4G in selected parts of Johannesburg in October 2012. MTN, Cell C, Telkom (8ta), and Neotel also have 4G LTE offerings. Telkom has deployed LTE-A in select cities.
Uganda: MTN launched a 4G LTE network in April 2013. Smile launched 4G LTE in June 2013. Orange launched in July 2013. Vodafone launched LTE in February 2015.
Nigeria: Smile has operated LTE service in Ibadan since January 2013 (and Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Benin City since). Swift and Spectranet both have launched LTE later in mid-2013. Airtel and Globacom have tested LTE in the past. Bitflux will soon launch LTE-A. MTN is migrating WiMAX to LTE as of late 2015. NITEL plans on rolling out 4G LTE by March 2016 to major cities.
Zimbabwe: Econet Wireless has 19 LTE towers operational as of late 2015. NetOne also offers LTE in one city. Telecel is launching LTE in 2016. As of Q3 2015, there were 26,185 LTE subscriptions in the country after experiencing 5,400% growth over the quarter.
Zambia: MTN launched 4G LTE in Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola, and Livingstone in January 2014. Zamtel will launch nationwide service in 2015 through Cell Z.
Cote d’Ivoire: YooMee officially launched TD-LTE for consumers and businesses in April 2014. Formal use of 4G by other operators will be granted in early 2016
Algeria: Algerie Telecom Mobilis launched 4G in May 2014. Three more 4G license are to be granted shortly
Ghana: Alcatel-Lucent and Surfline Communications launched 4G LTE in August 2014. Blu also offers 4G. BusyInternet is launching LTE in early 2016
Rwanda: Rwanda has signed a deal with South Korea’s KT Corp. to roll out 4G to 95% of its citizens within three years. Service began with Olleh Rwanda Networks in November 2014. Tigo now offers 4G
Senegal: Orange launched a 4G pilot trial in September 2014. Tigo had a test running through March 2015. The regulator is calling for 4G license bids by the end of Q1 2016 after the three current mobile operators boycotted the initial request
Gabon: Gabon Telecom launched 4G in Libreville in October 2014. In November 2015 the company announced 4G+ – Airtel followed suit in December 2015
Lesotho: Vodadcom has offered 4G LTE since October 2014
Morocco: Maroc Telecom tested 4G in Rabat in November 2014 and offers LTE-A in select cities. Meditel and Inwi also offer LTE in select cities as of June 2015
Seychelles: Airtel deployed a 4G/LTE network in November 2014
Kenya: Safaricom launched LTE-Advanced in December 2014. Airtel and Orange are allowed to test 4G
Madagascar: Blueline launched 4G LTE (Wi-Fi) in January 2015 in select areas (mainly the capital). Telma launched 4G in 50 cities in June 2015
Botswana: Spurred by regional competition (Angola, Namibia) Mascom began a 4G pilot project in mid-2012 and launched commercial LTE in February 2015. Orange also launched LTE in early 2015
Ethiopia: Ethio Telecom launched 4G service in March 2015
Malawi: 4G LTE is available in parts of Blantyre from Access Communications. Tazca Connects offers similar service in Lilongwe
Gambia: Netpage launched LTE fixed-wireless in April 2015
Benin: be.Telecoms officially launched commercial LTE in December 2015 after deploying throughout the year. Numerous cities have coverage
Cameroon: MTN launched 4G LTE in four cities in late 2015
Guinea-Bissau: Orange launched LTE in Bissau on December 23rd, 2015
Somalia: Somcable launched 4G LTE-A in January 2016

Coming Soon

Egypt: Announced with help of Ericsson by early 2016
DRC: Smile has plans to launch LTE in 2016. Afrimax Group is planning to deploy a TD-LTE network
Libya: Al Jeel, a smaller ISP, talked about launching LTE in the near future, but it won’t be until at least 2016
Guinea: Sotelgui expects LTE soon
Togo: TogoCel was to launch 4G service in 2015
Chad: Tigo was testing 4G LTE in N’Djamena in July 2014
Tunisia: Ooredoo is testing 4G in two cities. Tunisie Telecom is testing as well. Commercial 4G LTE will roll-out in 2016
Sudan: Zain is obtained government permission to launch a commercial LTE network in Khartoum
Cape Verde: The regulator is taking steps to issue 4G LTE licenses and spectrum
Comoros: Telma is to launch 4G at the end of 2016

Paris, France – Orange announced today that it has completed the acquisition of 100% of Cellcom, Liberia’s leading mobile operator, through its subsidiary Orange Côte d’Ivoire.

Less than three months after signing the agreement with Cellcom Telecommunications Limited for the acquisition of its Liberian subsidiary, Orange has obtained all the official approbations necessary to complete the transaction. Cellcom Liberia has 1.4 million customers.

Liberia will now become the 20th country in Africa and the Middle East to join the Orange group. With a population of 4.3 million people and relatively low mobile penetration rate (66% of the population), the country has a high-growth potential for Orange.

Over the next few months, Liberian customers will benefit from the arrival of Orange, one of Africa’s leading players in the telecoms’ industry. Orange will provide its marketing expertise and world-class technical capability to further strengthen the operator’s established network and enhance customer service.

This acquisition is part of the international development strategy of Orange, which aims to accelerate growth by entering new emerging markets with high potential. This will enable Orange to strengthen its positions in Africa, where almost one in ten people are already customers.

Orange (www.Orange.com) is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with sales of 39 billion euros in 2014 and 157,000 employees worldwide at 30 September 2015, including 98,000 employees in France.

Present in 28 countries, the Group has a total customer base of 263 million customers worldwide at 30 September 2015, including 200 million mobile customers and 18 million fixed broadband customers.  Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies, under the brand Orange Business Services.

 In March 2015, the Group presented its new strategic plan “Essentials2020” which places customer experience at the heart of its strategy with the aim of allowing them to benefit fully from the digital universe and the power of its new generation networks.

Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).

Monrovia – Responding to a recent release from Lonestar/MTN that Cellcom has intent to portray the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lonestar/MTN in a negative way, Cellcom telecommunications says it is in the business of providing quality and affordable telecommunications service to the Liberian people and has no intent to be involved in Liberia’s political landscape.

In its recent press release, Lonestar/MTN claimed that Cellcom was “deliberately and maliciously” portraying the Chairman of the Board of Directors who is also the central figure of the All Liberian Party Mr. Benoni Urey in a “negative way.” Cellcom’s Corporate Communications Strategist Dr. Kimmie Weeks says the allegations from Lonestar/MTN “defies common sense and logic.”

Said Weeks: “Cellcom has a long and proud history of neutrality during elections in Liberia.  None of our executives are running in elections so there is no way we would be engaged in promoting a negative campaign against Mr. Urey.    Our core focus is to provide quality and affordable telecommunications to all Liberians and not to meddle in national politics.”

Commenting on other allegations raised by Lonestar/MTN that Cellom was congesting that company’s network, Dr. Weeks asserted that said accusations were “baseless, false, and intended to distract from Lonestar’s inability and unwillingness to provide cost saving promotions to its customers.”

Since its establishment in Liberia ten years ago, Cellcom has continued to remain a “champion” of Liberian telecommunications customers and has over the years continued to establish innovative cost savings promotions and services which has benefited thousands of Liberians.   The company’s nationally popular 3 days free calls program has been running without interruptio

Monrovia – Cellcom’s new mobile money service, which was launched late last week is already drawing hundreds of new subscribers and customers.  The new service, which is being called Smile Cellcom Money, has been created on a unique platform which gives consumers numerous advantages and convenience.

During the launching of the new mobile money service, Cellcom Chief Executive Officer Mr. Avishai Marziano said that his company had created the new mobile money platform had been created to make It easier for customers to be able to send money across the country, pay bills, and buttress access to financial services.  “The biggest challenge is probably faced by relatives in the city who want to send money to their love-ones in rural communities, or Liberians trying to pay their light or water bills,” lamented Mr. Marziano.

He continued: “We understand that due to high operational costs Banks simply cannot be in every town or village; Therefore through Mobile Money, we are presenting an alternative that will give every Liberian the opportunity for financial inclusion and participation.” Mr. Marzino highlighted that in addition to being dual currency, Cellcom’s mobile money platform would allow customers to send and receive money across GSM networks.  He explained:

“Smile Cellcom Mobile Money will benefit everyone irrespective of the network that the mobile money recipient is connected to. With Smile Cellcom Mobile Money, our customers will be able to easily transfer and receive money, pay bills or top-up Cellcom airtime for themselves or for other Cellcom subscribers. Every transaction can be done fast and smoothly, directly using a mobile phone.”

The excitement for the new service, which allows Cellcom subscribers to send and receive money in both American and Liberian dollars can be felt across the country as Cellcom subscribers are already lining up to register.   “The response has been exciting,” says Corporate Communications Strategist Dr. Kimmie Weeks, “we have a product that is made in Liberia for Liberia so we were able to incorporate a lot of things that will benefit the Liberian market significantly.

Liberians already know that Cellcom is a company that they can trust so there is already a great deal of confidence that Smile Mobile Money is going to have the security that they want and expect.” Subscribers can register for the Smile Cellcom Money at all Cellcom point of sales at Total Service Stations.  In the coming weeks, the company says it will unveil hundreds of other locations across the country.