Two Millicom-owned companies are to officially merge. Zanzibar Telecom Public Limited Company (Zantel) has announced the completion of a combination with its sister company MIC Tanzania Public Limited Company (Tigo).
Now that Millicom Tanzania, which operates under the brand name Tigo, has received approval from local antitrust authorities to combine with its sister company Zantel, the successful closing will see both companies combine their operations in the mainland and on the archipelago of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania some 25 km off the mainland coast.
This move has been expected for some time. Earlier this year, Tanzania’s Fair Competition Commission (FCC) was informed by Millicom that it intended to increase its shareholding in Zantel from 85.0 percent to 99.9 percent through the acquisition of a stake from the government of Zanzibar.
The combined business will, say the partners, bring together the strengths of Zantel and Tigo to better serve customers both in the mainland and in Zanzibar. The combined group will, they add, offer improved coverage and better quality of service to customers in both urban and rural Tanzania, also enabling wider access to communication solutions for businesses as well as mobile financial services to both Zantel and Tigo customers.
Zantel and Tigo have assured customers that SIM cards and mobile numbers will not change and that there will be no interruption to customers’ experience on both networks during the integration process.
