Nic Rudnick, CEO, Liquid Telecom, says the agreement enables Liquid Telecom to expand its footprint into Tanzania, a growing and dynamic African country.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 14 – Liquid Telecom has acquired Tanzania’s leading Internet Service Provider Raha marking its entrance in the Tanzania market.
The firm received the final regulatory approval from the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) to close its latest transaction in Tanzania and has become the majority stakeholder of Raha.
Raha serves over 1500 businesses as well as a growing number of retail customers with a range of connectivity solutions, including fibre, satellite, WiMAX and Wi-Fi.
The acquisition provides Liquid Telecom’s enterprise and wholesale customers with direct and faster access to Tanzania and to all Eastern, Central and Southern Africa.
Tanzania will become the latest market to be added to Liquid Telecom’s extensive fibre network, serving eastern, central and southern Africa, spanning over 40,000km across 12 countries.
“We are very pleased to announce that this transaction has received its final approval. The agreement enables Liquid Telecom to expand its footprint into Tanzania, a growing and dynamic African country,” said Nic Rudnick, CEO, Liquid Telecom.
Raha operates a metro network throughout the Central Business District (CBD) of Dar es Salaam as well as other areas of the Tanzania capital.
The firm has built a dynamic and innovative reputation amongst Tanzania consumers and businesses, and last year collected the prestigious Brand of the Year Award (Africa) at the Social Media Awards Africa (SMAA).
“We are thrilled with this approval and look forward to being part of a pan-African connectivity movement,” said Aashiq Shariff, CEO, Raha.
Internet penetration in Tanzania has increased rapidly in recent years reaching 34 per cent in 2015.
Mobile subscriptions increased by more than 24 per cent in 2015 to 39.8 million, while the number of internet users rose 52 per cent year-on-year to reach 17.26 million last year, according to TRCA.
Liquid Telecom supplies fibre optic, satellite and international carrier services to Africa’s largest mobile network operators, ISPs, financial institutions and businesses of all sizes.
Working under various brands, the Liquid Telecom Group has operating entities in Botswana, DRC, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, UK, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
