Net Race

Tigo flags off Ghana’s mobile net race
By RAPHAEL ADENIRAN
Ghana’s first mobile telephone operator, Millicom Ghana (Mobitel) has launched the country’s first mobile internet telephone service tagged Tigo to beat rivals already planning to contend for space in the new service window that promises to further heat up competition in the fiery phone market of some three million subscribers. Millicom’s new services was unveiled at a ceremony to also mark the re-branding of the mobile telco to “Tigo” which now replaces the existing Mobitel and Buzz GSM brand name. Millicom Ghana is a member of the Millicom International Cellular operation spanning 16 countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa and covering a total population of about 392 million people.“The evolution of Mobitel and the Buzz GSM brand to “tigo” is not just a change of brand name or repositioning of Buzz GSM, but a whole new cellular experience,” said Managing Director, Mr Gareth Townley Townley at the ceremony with Communications Minister Albert Kan-Dapaah as special guest.Tigo Subscribers will be given third generation functions such as Multi-Media Message Service (MMS), which includes video, and picture messaging. Mobitel Internet service deploys General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) to hook customers to the internet on their mobile phones.With the launch, Millicom has blown the whistle for the start of a fresh race for who will control Ghanaian mobile internet market where it might have beaten Scancom, operators of Areeba - the country’s biggest mobile service provider- by a few weeks because Scancom has been quietly test driving its internet and GPRS mobile service for a while now, hoping to launch before the mid year.Tigo service provides International Direct Dial (IDD) calls at cheaper rates, comparable to local call rates, wireless access protocol as well as international roaming.
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