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In terms of subscriber numbers, Tigo are the confirmed market leaders in Chad
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The last two years marked several milestones for Tigo Chad; with the launch of Tigo Cash, 4G LTE services and the renewal of their license in the country for a further ten years, all of which promises to increase their customer reach in the future Writer Emily Jarvis Project Manager Donovan Smith
ince their launch in Chad in 2005, Tigo Chad has gone on to become the largest mobile network in the country that offers mobile voice communications, 2G, 3G and 4G (LTE) technology; and Mobile Financial Services (Tigo Cash) that already reach close to a quarter of their customer base. 2014 was a milestone year as they became the first company to bring 4G LTE internet connectivity to the region, boasting 75 percent of the market share for broadband services, and over 2.6 million customers overall (as of September 2014).
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Furthermore, Tigo Chad is part of the Millicom Group, with operations across 15 countries in Africa and Latin America and over 53 million customers. It is the first operation within the Millicom Group in Africa to launch 4G LTE technologies – a first for Chad and also for the entire CEMAC zone (Central Africa). “Tigo has the largest network coverage with over 540 sites covering over 87 percent of the population,” cites Benoit Janin, CEO of Tigo Chad. As a leading MFS provider with over 500,000 clients using their financial services, Tigo Cash has been a key part of company success since its launch in November 2012. The application achieved one of the fastest penetration rates of Mobile Financial Services ever registered in Africa, standing at an impressive 10 percent penetration rate after the first year of implementation.
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In the last two years, we have extended our network coverage from 400 to 540 sites; a huge 25 percent coverage increase
With such strong figures backing Tigo Chad’s promising market progression, the company renewed its license in the summer of 2013 for the next ten years. “Indeed, we have been confirmed as the market leader in terms of our subscriber base by the local regulator in the last quarter of 2013, and so have been successful in securing Tigo’s longevity in Chad for the foreseeable future. This has allowed us to focus on our long term goals and really hone in on what services the customers want in the next ten years,” Janin continues, “In the last two years, we have extended our network coverage from 400 to 540 sites; a huge 25 percent coverage increase. What’s more, our work in customer service has been recognised by industry peers and our Facebook page is the most liked in Chad with more than 48,000 fans.”
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Transforming the Lives of Chadians
One of the major challenges of operating in an underdeveloped country is access to infrastructure; namely access to the national electricity grid as Janin explains: “Access to a secure energy supply is a big issue as only around one percent of the population has access to the grid. For us, it means that all our sites are ran via generators, which requires considerable maintenance and field works to keep them running.” The telecommunications industry in Chad is still in the growth phase, with mobile penetration standing at approximately 40 percent of the total population. Subsequently, the government has embarked on a huge development project to make Chad the ICT hub for the Central Africa region. “For us at Tigo Chad, this arrival of modern technology alongside our current data network progression from 2G+ directly to 3G+ and 4G, will mean a considerable number of changes in consumer habits in the coming months that will really cement our growth. We tested our 4G service on the 1st July this year and this, and the 3G+ service, were commercially launched in November 2014,” affirms Janin.
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As less than half of the population currently have access to a mobile, Tigo recognises the significance of a mobile device for customers: “We know that a mobile means families and communities can communicate via phone for the very first time; smallscale farmers can access weather reports or the latest market prices; entrepreneurs can take their business to places where no banks or formal financial institutions ever existed,
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We know that a mobile means families and communities can communicate via phone for the very first time Benoit Janin - Director General
and loyal customers can contribute to their health insurance policies via text message,” Janin adds: “Our markets may lie beyond the western economies and they may seem less familiar; but to us, they promise dynamic growth potential where our freedom to innovate is unlimited. They are part of us, and we demand more of ourselves every time to build original, exciting digital services for our customers there.”
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Standing Strong in the Face of Challenge Tigo Chad strives to maintain their position as market leader. In order to do this, the company are working hard to improve their quality of service and their US$200 million investment in this area over the next five years is testament to this. “We are thoroughly committed to improving our quality of service and will continue to invest in the Tigo network and our distribution channel, and also look to eventually bring in new services that run in conjunction with our mobile services; such as digital television and e-commerce,” Janin highlights. As Chad continues to acquire better infrastructures – such as the construction of new roads – optical fibre will be made available from next year and Janin has no doubts that the growth of the economy will help grow Tigo’s business: “Opportunities exist in Chad together with more and more economical development and the country is attracting new businesses every day. Tigo will ensure to deliver our commitment to have over 90% of the population covered by our network. We will also ensure the extending of our
EMEK GROUP
Tigo will ensure to deliver our commitment to have over 90% of the population covered by our network
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MK specialised in tower manufacturing and installation in the telecommunications sector
since 2003, and have an excellent reputation in the sector thanks to the brand image and business partnerships that have been established. EMK is recommended by their customers in the design of towers, in
3G+ data network to the rest of Chad and we will further develop our data network with the arrival of optical fibre by the end of 2015.” Janin is confident that with a strong team behind him that delivers day-in day-out, Tigo will be able to face challenges head on: “We make our staff aware of Tigo’s activities, whilst at the same time ensuring that they get the relevant training for their own development and also the benefit of the company.” Reinforcing this statement is the 4000 hours of training the company profess to have completed in 2013, which Janin says is a result of the company focus to “keep customers close to our heart”.
calculation of statics and manufacturing. His technical team, composed of specialists in the telecommunications sector, enable EMK to manufacture and erect towers impeccably. The motto of the company is to respond in accordance with the requirements of its customers in an allotted time. The orientation and professionalism of collaborations have allowed EMK to grow in the telecommunications sector exponentially. EMK also owe his success to his partner Millicom; a brand partner whose professionalism has allowed the growth of the company in the telecommunications sector. Through a relationship that began in 2012, EMK had the chance to provide more than 120 towers and tower heights equivalent to 60m. The guidance and the meticulous work provided by Millicom have allowed EMK to excel in telecommunications sector and to this day, the partnerships carry EMK to become a worldwide leader in the telecommunication market. T +90 212 723 64 00
Staff World Cup celebrations
M +90 533 921 11 01 E burcu.tasdelen@emek-group.com info@emek-group.com
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Endüstriyel Metaller ve Kuleler Paz. İç ve Dış Tic. Ltd. Şti.
spEciAlisED iN TOwEr MANUfAcTUriNg AND iNsTAllATiON iN ThE TElEcOMMUNicATiONs sEcTOr • 46,000 m² total facility area • A total tower manufacturing capacity of 800 tonnes per month • 693 towers have been manufactured in 2013 • 30 is the mostly produced tower height in 2013 • 265 workers in December 2013 • 80 is the tallest produced tower in 2013 • The furthest export distance is NOUMEA at 15,560 Km
T +90 212 723 64 00 M +90 533 921 11 01 E burcu.tasdelen@emek-group.com info@emek-group.com www.emek-group.com
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CYBERCOM
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ybercom is an IT consulting company that assists leading companies and organisations to benefit from the opportunities of the connected world. The company’s areas of expertise span the entire ecosystem of communications services. Cybercom’s home market is the Nordic region, and in addition the company offers global delivery capacity for local and international business. The company has offices in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Poland, Dubai, India and Singapore. Cybercom was founded in 1995 and has been listed on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm exchange since 1999.
As a result of being people-focussed, Tigo Chad’s main drive is to invest in local talent. More than 97 percent of their staff are locally recruited and through the aforementioned training, Tigo invest in the long-term skills development of their employees. “We employ over 350 people directly and close to 100,000 employees indirectly across the country. Thus, we feel proud to be a responsible corporate citizen of Chad who contributes to the country’s economic growth,” explains Janin.
Award-Winning Company
Recently, Tigo Chad received two honours. The first was the Trophy for International Leadership and Image, awarded by the Global Trade Leaders Club in Madrid in December 2013. The second award was in recognition of
These two international awards serve as another strong recognition of our focus and efforts
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their customer service – the Diamond Eye Quality and Excellence award – which came from Berlin. Commenting on their achievements, Janin adds: “Our two international awards serve as another strong recognition of our focus and efforts in terms of quality of service. I feel very proud to have won such prizes and I am not only proud of all my Tigo colleagues, but also for Chad as our efforts place the country on the NTIC world map.” In addition to these international accreditations, Tigo Chad strongly believes in assisting the local communities in their development, and aims to play an integral role in the development of Chadian entrepreneurs and future leaders. “Since 2012, together with Reach For Change - an NGO based in Sweden - we have developed a yearly competition where we select three social entrepreneurs that have projects aimed at changing the lives of children. These entrepreneurs receive US$25,000 every year. In this year’s competition, we added a digital component to it, meaning that we allow entrepreneurs the chance to use mobile technology to change society. Each year, the
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30 Raffles Place, Level 17 Chevron House Singapore 048622 T +65 6809 6206 E +65 6809 6201
www.cybercom.com
ITS Ltd
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TS Ltd deploys telemetry on all sites for our partner Tigo Chad. The telemetry allows them to control and manage remote fuel in each tank and each site on Chadian territory. Currently connecting 39% of sites on the telemetry network, it helps: • Detects theft and abnormal consumption • Enables accurate costing of each trip • Decreases the number of teams on the territory of monitoring fuel • Control of the quantity supplied with respect to order • Easier future forecasts • Simplifies validating a BC and the supplier’s invoice fuels Over the next 12 months, we have the project with Tigo to complete the rest of the sites in Chad. Commercial T (00235) 95 26 28 48 / 62 21 19 99 E commercial@its-hrs.com Support Techniques T (00235) 92 62 86 86 / 68 12 12 34 E support@its-hrs.com
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SMART METERING SOLUTIONS FOR UTILITIES & INDUSTRY ITS SYSTEMS – MAIN ACTIVITIES
• Smart metering, restoration and enhancement of environmental data • Integrated software suite • All in pack Maintenance • Multi-applications submitted by a single network: - Management of business data related to the environment “water“ - Storage management of petroleum and chemical products - Industrial processes follow up - Energy management sites - Column management recycling COMMERCIAL Mail: commercial@its-hrs.com Tel. (00235) 95 26 28 48 / 62 21 19 99
SUPPORT TECHNIQUE Mail: support@its-hrs.com Tel. (00235) 92 62 86 86 / 68 12 12 34
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Général Entreprise de Construction (GEC) Ltd
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énéral Entreprise de Construction (GEC) Ltd, based in Chad, specialise in the fields of construction and telecommunications. With a powerful team of qualified engineers, GEC performs all types of structural work. GEC offer: • Construction and repair of buildings • Civil engineering (base and mast mounting) • Installation of radio equipment (indoor and outdoor) • General trade - import & export services • Industrial cleaning • All types of service delivery T +235 664 91818 +235 994 91818 +235 225 11261 E info.gec@gect.td azizkoumbo@yahoo.fr
initiative transforms innovative ideas into sustainable ventures.” Moreover, Tigo Chad are also the official partner of Malaria No More, an NGO working in the fight against malaria. In this partnership, the company can reach areas affected by the disease and educate the population via SMS on ways to avoid malaria; the deadliest health factor in Chad with over 600,000 cases per year. The company also regularly contribute to access to clean water by building wells in remote areas, and they actively support various orphanages across the country. On the more creative and cultural heritage side of social responsibility, Tigo Chad are the official partner of the only cinema in N’Djamena - Cinéma Normandie and work with the French Institute (IFT) who promote arts and culture in Ndjamena. “Not only have we been contributing to the cinema, but we have been sponsoring the Semi Marathon of Peace since 2007 and for the past two years, we have helped traditional dance and music festivals across the county,” Janin concludes by proudly emphasising: “Culture is an important part of any country, and it is important that all who both live here and visit Chad understand this. Therefore, Tigo is proud to be associated with the life of culture and tradition in Chad.”
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Competence - Efficiency - Quality Is Our MOTTO TO ACCOMPANy yOu IN yOur BusINEss
ZENITH BTP - PO BOX 1569 NDJAMENA CHAD Tel : (00235) 66274540/ (00235) 95274540 Email: zenithbtp1569@yahoo.fr www.zenithbtp.com (under construction)
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Tel: +235 664 91818 | +235 994 91818 | Dom: +235 225 11261 Mail: info.gec@gect.td | azizkoumbo@yahoo.fr
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MEdiafrika • Development of media strategies/ communication in Central Africa • Implementation and monitoring of the media and communication campaigns in Central Africa • Development, implementation and monitoring of communication events • Communication and media consulting in Central Africa
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E nq u iries Tel (UK): +44 (0) 1603 559 151
Tigo Chad
Tel (SA): +27 (0) 21 527 0053
BP. 6505
ben.weaver@outlookpublishing.com
Avenue Charles de Gaulle N’Djamena
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Chad
Tel (UK): +44 (0) 1603 559 152
Tel: +235 99 90 01 00
emily.jarvis@outlookpublishing.com
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Email:contact@td.tigo.com
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