MTN South Sudan, a subsidiary of the pan-African MTN Group, has officially secured a 15-year operating license from the country’s National Communication Authority (NCA). Previously, the operator operated under a Sudanese license, but the new agreement aligns MTN with South Sudan’s national regulations and replaces outdated terms.
NCA Director-General Napoleon Adok Gai emphasized during the signing ceremony in Juba that the license would cover cellular services and enable regulatory enforcement under South Sudanese law. The agreement also includes commitments from MTN to improve service quality, expand coverage, and foster innovation in the country’s telecommunications sector.
As of December 2022, MTN South Sudan is the country’s largest telecom operator with 2.5 million subscribers and a market share of 59.7%, in a country with a population of approximately 12.1 million.
At the signing ceremony, MTN South Sudan CEO Ali Monzer pledged to expand the operator’s network coverage to 90% of the population within the first ten years. While the goal of greater coverage is crucial, affordability remains a challenge for many South Sudanese citizens, as broadband mobile connectivity remains difficult for much of the population to afford.
South Sudan’s fragile political stability, infrastructural challenges, and logistical hurdles could complicate the swift deployment of large-scale projects. However, a positive development came from the government’s announcement to deploy the country’s first fibre optic network this year, which could significantly enhance connectivity.
In addition, the Ministry of ICT and Postal Services recently revealed that Future Union (FU), a Qatar-based investment group, has expressed interest in South Sudan’s telecom sector. While no concrete decisions have been made regarding this interest, it signals growing external interest in the market.
