Senegal rules out opening telecommunication market to fourth service provider

Abdou Karim Sall, the head of the Senegal’s telecommunication market regulator (ARTP) has brushed aside the possibility for the West African country to open the telecommunication market to a fourth service provider.

Senegal’s current telecommunication market is dominated by three firms namely Sonatel, Free (formerly Tigo) and Expresso.

During an interview with state-run news agency APS, Sall, former Minister of Environment, indicated that the telecommunication market in the African country is also choked.

“I do not think that the question of opening the market to a fourth operator is needed. The market is configured such that two operators or three operators maximum for a country like Senegal seems to me to be the best option,” Sall indicated.

The priority is making current operators more dynamic market. “We must not have a super-giant next to two dwarfs. What must be done is to have operators who have acceptable market shares and who compete,” he added.

The veteran ARTP regulator also argued that more focus should be on making sure the operators are providing better quality services and better quality of commercial packages.