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In Just a week, a lot of developments in the mobile phone market is happening to keep track of. This is a business that is not in any way talking or reeling of a recession. From services such as mobile money transfers, surging mobile phone users, increasing Internet data hotspots to the completely launching of a completely new mobile phones services company.
Uganda has already has four mobile phone operators: Mtn, zain, uganda telecom and warid telecom. Now, Orange, the new operator has started business in the stiff mobile phone market.
Michael Barre, the international operations vice president is confident Orange will be the best operator as he notes from their past success in Central Africa. “We started the same way in Central Africa in December 2007 and emerged the best by December 2008,” he is quoted in the local daily. Orange operates in 15 African countries, including Kenya, Senegal, Niger, Cameroon, Botswana, Madagascar, Egypt and Mauritius.
This week mtn, has also come out with advertisements and promotions on how to use its new and cheap way to send and receive money with mobile phones. A service that has already caused a lot of excitement and ease in Kenya, is bound to return same fruits here. Not to be left out, the other operators too; zain and uganda telecom are already experimenting with offering the same service to their clients.
With the ridiculously slow Internet speeds at the uganda telecom hotspots, the operator has been wise to reduce on the charges to attract more customers. Users now pay for Internet service by sending text messages to the company while at its Hotspot locations.
What is happing is that every operator is running a promotion to retain their clientele including winning cars, new fully connected handsets, calling at very low rates, friends and family offers. The global financial crisis and the high taxes affecting this industry, do not in any way seem to affect the operators and all.
With now a new french operator, orange, in the market, more and better services are expected such multimedia messaging and the unexplored Internet services section if all these operators are to grow to attract more than the current 8.2 million subscribers.
