Celtel to Expand Free Roaming to 6 Countires, Plans for 9 More

African mobile operator Celtel has expanded its One Network free roaming to six countries. Already available in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, the service will now also be available to subscribers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo and Gabon.

One Network gives users the same prices when roaming in the six countries that they pay at home and free incoming calls.

Celtel aims to expand the service to all 15 countries where it has a presence in Africa. Inter-regional traffic jumped 300 percent in the first three months after the launch of One Network in the three east African countries, Anna Othoro, Celtel marketing director in Kenya, told Business Day.

The Rest @ Telkom Paper

East African Wireless Telcoms to Lower or Remove Excise Taxes

Tanzania Uganda and Kenya are looking to lower or remove excise duty levied on mobile phone airtime.

A study carried out last year by consultancy Delloitte for the association of mobile telephone operators, GSMA has indicated removal or reduction of excise would result in increases in tax receipts in the long term.

The decision to lower excise, if adopted, will be contained either in the next budget reading (2007/2008) or the financial year after (2008/2009).

In Uganda, discussions in that direction are ongoing between the ministry of finance, planning and economic development, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and the new ministry of ICT and communication.

"We are optimistic that the three governments will announce decreases in excise duty," Mr. Gabriel Solomon, director, government & regulatory affairs at the GSM Association told Business Week in a telephone interview last week.

Read the Rest from All Africa.com, and East Africa Business Week