Mobile Phone Operators in Afghanistan
Mobile Communication is one of the booming sectors in Afghanistan. Mobile Communication were introduced in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. It has become the main means of communication and one of the fastest-growing and most profitable sectors in the country’s economy.
Currently there are four mobile operators in Afghanistan.
Roshan Telecom
Roshan is the trading name for Telecom Development Company Afghanistan Ltd.
Currently, Roshan is one of the largest private company employers in Afghanistan, directly employing over 470 people. In addition, Roshan provides indirect employment to more than 5,000 people who work as dealers, distributors, contractors and suppliers.
Owned by an international consortium formed by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), Monaco Telecom International (MTI) and Swedish-Finnish TeliaSonera.
Afghan Wireless
Afghan Wireless Communication Company is the product of founder Ehsan Bayat’s mission to reconnect Afghanistan with the wider world.
Currently, Afghan Wireless is serving 17 cites: Kabul, Herat, Marzar-i-Sharif, Kandahar and Jalalabad to become one of the very few Afghan companies operating in 17 separate regions of the country.
Afghan Wireless was founded by Ehsan Bayat with the vision to connect Afghanistan with the wider world through technology. Afghan Wireless signed a 15 year-contract with the Ministry of Communications, which has a 20% stake in Afghan Wireless
Areeba
Areeba is a new global brand which made its appearance in the Sudanese telecommunication market in July 2005.
Areeba’s first project has started in 1990 in Ghana then Benin following in 1999, Syria in 2001, Liberia 2002, Yemen in 2003, Cyprus and Guinea Bissau in year 2004, Guinea Conakry and Afghanistan 2006.
Areebais a subsidiary of Investcom, an international provider of mobile telecommunications services with operations in nine countries in the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
Etisalat Afghanistan is a newly established GSM operator in Afghanistan.
In May 2006 Telecommunications Corporation [Etisalat of the Unites Arab Emirates] signed an agreement with Afghan authorities in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. to operate a GSM network across Afghanistan and become the fourth GSM operator in the country.
Etisalat Afghanistan is 100% owned by Etisalat U.A.E. Etisalat UAE (the parent company) is the sixth largest company in the Middle East and has subsidiaries in Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Egypt, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Niger Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Togo, Tanzania, and Pakistan.