Kuwait-based telecoms group Zain yesterday launched a 3.5G network in Ghana, having invested more than USD420 million in the country to realise the speedy deployment of the technology - a first for sub-Saharan Africa, excluding South Africa. Reuters reports that Zain sees potential on the continent where it already has 40 million customers. ‘Although penetration is very, very low, we see it as having very huge potential. A lot of people say Africa penetration is almost saturated, but we don't because we see that we can optimise our business on the continent,’ Chris Gabriel, Chief Executive Officer of Zain Africa said. Zain, which already operates in 22 countries across the Middle East and Africa, is looking to become one of the world’s top ten operators by 2011 and has already set its sights on four of five acquisitions in the region which Gabriel says will be closed ‘in the next twelve months’.

Source:telegeography