MTN plots 3G launch in Abidjan, ten other cities

MTN Cote d’Ivoire is poised to inaugurate its long-awaited 3G network in the capital of Abidjan, Agence Ecofin reports, with plans to extend mobile broadband services to the country’s ‘top ten cities’ in due course. The cellco, which was awarded a 3G licence by L’Agence des Telecommunications de Cote d’Ivoire (ATCI) in March this year, for XOF6 billion (USD11.9 million), is confident that it can attract between 100,000 and 200,000 new subscribers on a daily basis. 2G market leader MTN is keen to gain ground on chief rival Orange Cote d’Ivoire, which launched its 3G network in April 2012 in Abidjan, San Pedro, Bouake, Daloa and Yamoussoukro. As such, MTN has entered into dialogue with Chinese handset suppliers such as ZTE and Huawei to supply it with 3G-suitable devices in the XOF100,000 price range.