Unitel

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Unitel SARL is the largest telecommunications company and, after Sonangol, the top-selling company in Angola . It has a 90% market share with annual sales of $ 958 million as of 2018. The shareholders are 50% of the state-owned oil company Sonangol and 25% each to Isabel dos Santos and Leopoldino do Nascimento , former head of the communications service of Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos .

history

Unitel was founded on December 30, 1998. It started its GSM services in April 2001 and its 4G LTE network in December 2012 . In October 2013, it carried out Africa's first international 4G video roaming call. In September 2014, the company announced that it would invest $ 1.4 billion in expanding its 4G infrastructure nationwide. Since January 2015 Unitel has been offering its customers free and unlimited mobile internet access to Wikipedia on all 2G / 3G / 4G networks in partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation . In November 2017, Unitel entered into a partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which allows the US agency to disseminate educational information about fighting malaria free of charge to all customers on the Internet. At the end of 2018, 4G technology was available in Luanda , Cabinda , Lubango , Huambo , Benguela , Lobito , Dundo , Malanje , Cuito , Soyo , Uige and Moçâmedes . In March 2019, the Portuguese Miguel Giraldes was elected as the new CEO at the Annual General Meeting , with Isabel dos Santos, Amilcar Safeca, Miguel Geraldes, João Boa Quipipa and Luiz Rosa among the Supervisory Board members. In January 2020, Sonangol acquired the 25 percent stake previously held in Unitel by the Brazilian telecommunications company Oi for $ 739 million .

Frequencies

Unitel uses two GSM frequencies 900 (E-GSM), 1800 (DCS), one UMTS frequency B1 (2100) and one LTE frequency B3 (1800 +).

controversy

The Luanda Leaks , in which investigative journalists exposed the nepotism of President José Eduardo dos Santos, shows that Isabel dos Santos, as a major shareholder and board member of Unitel, instructed the company to give her own company, Unitel International Holdings, a loan of 350 Million US dollars. She was both a lender and a loan recipient. Isabel dos Santos stated that the entire board of directors had approved the loan. After the Luanda leaks became known, their accounts and shares in the largest firms in Angola, including Unitel, were frozen.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Shareholders signal flotation of Angola mobile operator ft.com , June 30, 2019, accessed on February 23, 2020
  2. ↑ Unitel announces launch of 4G network on 16 in December! menosfio.com , December 12, 2012, accessed February 23, 2020
  3. ↑ Unitel claims first African 4G video roaming commsupdate.com , October 24, 2013, accessed on February 23, 2020 (English)
  4. ↑ Unitel unveils nationwide 4G plans eiu.com , September 24, 2014, accessed on February 23, 2020 (English)
  5. ↑ Unitel enables free access to Wikipedia commsupdate.com , January 16, 2015, accessed on February 23, 2020 (English)
  6. ↑ THE US GOVERNMENT AND UNITEL PARTNER TO COMBAT MALARIA IN ANGOLA ao.usembassy.gov , November 7, 2017, accessed on February 24, 2020
  7. ↑ Unitel adding five more 4G cities this year; aims to cover all communes in less than three years commsupdate.com , August 24, 2028, accessed on February 24, 2020
  8. ↑ Unitel has a new Director General menosios.com , March 19, 2019, accessed on February 23, 2020 (English)
  9. ↑ Angola Sonangol holds 50% of Unitel Telecom furtherafrica.com , January 28, 2020, accessed February 23, 2020
  10. ↑ FrequencyCheck Unitel Angola frequencycheck.com , accessed February 24, 2020
  11. ↑ Unitel implicated in the #LuandaLeaks scandal capacitymedia.com , January 22, 2020, accessed on February 23, 2020 (English)