Telecommunications

Telecommunication in and around the 10 southern Sudan states is of great variance.

Juba - capital of Central Equatoria State and seat of the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) - boasts a range of mobile phone service providers. They include the popular Gemtel, Mobitel and Sudatel among others.

However, the use of satellite phone services of Thuraya is far more extensive. It has a wider reach within the South due to satellite technology and is handy in many areas where there is no telecommunication set up.

Fixed lines are at present still considered a rarity in many areas.

Access to Internet services varys from state capital to state capital.

In Juba, there are a number of cybercafes from which one can access the Internet, including one near the Ministry of Telecommunications. Several hotels and tented camps also provide Internet services.

In Bor, Jonglei State there is one cyber cafe situated near the Bor Bus Park.

In Malakal, Upper Nile State there is one cyber cafe situated near the Malakal Port.

Below are some of the telecommunications operating in South Sudan.

Mobitel

Mobitel Sudan, part of the Kuwaiti Mobile Tele-Communications (MTC) group, signed a EUR78 million contract with Ericsson for the expansion of its network. This was after acquiring the 39% stake in Mobitel through its subsidiary Celtel, from the Sudanese government in February 2005. This made it sole owner of the company following a deal worth $1.33 billion.

Contact

Sudanese Mobile Telephone Company Ltd
4th Floor, Arab Company for Livestock Development Building
Mogran, Alghaba Street
P.O Box 13588, Khartoum
Email: info@sdn-mobitel.com
Telephone: +249 1239 7601
Fax: +249 91 239 7608

Sudatel

Sudanese Telecom Company (Sudatel) was established in 1993 as a public company following the privatisation of Telecom Corporation and began operations in February 1994. Sudani, the mobile service operator, is an offshoot of Sudatel.

Gemtel

Gemtel is commited to a rapid roll out of mobile services, the improvement of landline services quality and introduction of other telecommunication services.

Yei
Gemtel House
Yei - Maridi Road
Juba
P.O Box 110, Juba
Telephone: +256 4771 10211 or +256 4771 02999