13 September 2007
Khartoum: The managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of Canar Telecommunications Ali Bin Jarash Al Ghufli has said that Canar, an affiliate of etisalat has succeeded in acquiring a 45 per cent share of Sudan's landline market in just two years.
Speaking to Gulf News, Al Ghufli said that Canar's operations in Sudan are part of etisalat's global expansion strategy, starting with the Middle East.
"Thanks to etisalat's continuous support, Canar was able to cover 24 Sudanese cities. The company plans to expand its services to 33 cities in the current year," the Canar CEO said.
"But our final goal is to cover all of Sudan's cities and villages. Plans are underway to expand Canar's network to all parts of Sudan, but this is pending a feasibilty study," he said.
Al Ghufli said Canar's customers exceeds 196,000, a figure the company is looking forward to increase.
Canar recently celebrated the launching of its linking station with Flag Falcon, the international undersea cable project. He added that the sea cable links India and six Gulf Cooperation Council countries as well as Iran, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan and Iraq.
"The sea cable gives us access to India's local [communication] network in addition to connecting the whole world as part of the project of the US Flag company, which has been acquired by India's Reliance Gateway company," Al Ghufli said.
He described the telecom sector in Sudan as "promising and highly competitive".
Canar plans to offer the best telecom fares in southern Sudan and contribute in the development of the communication infrastructure in southern Sudan.
By Mariam Al Hakeem
Gulf News 2007. All rights reserved.
