Celtel marks 11 years
LIKE the long journey that starts with a single step, Celtel is marking a milestone in Uganda for making 11 years of telecommunications in Uganda.
Celtel was the country’s first mobile cellular service in May 1995 after the government’s decision to liberalise the telecommunication sector. The company started here under the Dutch holding firm, MSI Cellular Investments and re-branded in 2004 under the ‘Making Life Better’ tagline to match a uniform look with all Celtel entities now present in 14 countries in Africa.
Martin Sebuliba, Celtel Uganda’s marketing manager in charge of communications, says an audit of the 11 years in Uganda, is a great success story for the company, with an ever-growing customer base and wide quality coverage in at least 120 towns, from one border to another.
The re-launch of the company’s brand Sebuliba says, was to create an identity to match its ambitious goal of building and operating a world-class pan-African network that matches the competitiveness of telecommunications elsewhere in the world.
The Celtel brand can be seen in Burkina Faso, Chad, Republic of Congo, DR Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia with more than eight million subscribers.
The coverage represents more than a third of the population of Africa inline with Celtel International’s overall mission to be Africa’s most desirable network, putting quick, clear and reliable technology into the hands of a bustling population.
The ‘Making Life Better’ tagline, rolled out across all Celtel’s operations to communicate the company’s commitment to transformation of the telecommunications industry and a commitment to the community.
“The brand had grown significantly by over 500 % and we want to deliver a consistent brand experience for all our customers in Africa and keeping at the front our commitment to improving life in the communities,” Sebuliba says.
We can’t look back but want to keep this relationship stronger and growing everywhere each day,” Sebuliba says.
“We believe that people in Africa are always at work. They are trying to make ends meet and at Celtel we can supplement their efforts by providing better telecommunications services that meet their needs,” Sebuliba says.
The re-launch of the company in Uganda was officiated by President Yoweri Museveni and attended by top dignitaries that included the Chairman and Co-founder of Celtel Dr Mohammed Ibrahim. The events of the day made Celtel the only mobile telephone operator present in all three East African countries as Celtel Kenya was launched on the day. Celtel exists in Tanzania as well.
And last year, at the occasion to mark 10 years in Uganda, Marten Pieters, Celtel International’s CEO said the successful re-branding of Celtel has accelerated its growth. And underpinned its position in the sub-Saharan African region.
Last year, Celtel and MTC, a Kuwait based consortium won the Africa Investor Awards’ Infrastructure Deal of the Year award in Johannesburg, South Africa for the acquisition of pan-African mobile telecoms operator Celtel International by MTC Kuwait in May 2005.
The acquisition of Celtel by MTC Kuwait represented one of the largest corporate deals for a company operating in sub-Sahara Africa.
Sebuliba says the company has now developed new growth strategies and with increased rollout of its network to existing operations and the vision of helping people develop through the use of telecommunications is turning real.
“One of our key slogans is Count on us, and everyday we strive to make a difference in people’s lives by providing them with a network that is rewarding to their needs. We understand that mobile phones can offer a cost-effective means of providing service to rural and remote areas where infrastructure is always limited,”
Stephen Kavuma, MD of Cellular Galore, a Celtel dealership says the network’s quality has been a major boost for its outlook in the market and its growth tells of the innovative minds that drive the network and its relationship with the customer.
To this, Celtel Uganda’s insurance broker and risk managers AON Corporation agree.
“Our relationship with Celtel as their insurers has been on for at least five years and with no doubt, their success is well earned, the company being an ambitious organisation that we have at least seen perform on the market,” says Maurice Amogola AON Uganda’s deputy Managing director.
For 11 years and still counting, Celtel’s Sebuliba says the going can only get better for its subscribers and the community as the company continues on its path of delivering the best telecommunications solutions and engaging communities in activities geared at ‘Making Life Better.’
He says it underpinned celtel’s its position in the sub-Saharan African region.
Last year, Celtel and MTC, a Kuwait based consortium won the Africa Investor Awards’ Infrastructure Deal of the Year award in Johannesburg, South Africa for the acquisition of pan-African mobile telecoms operator Celtel International by MTC Kuwait in May 2005. The acquisition of Celtel by MTC Kuwait represented one of the largest corporate deals for a company operating in sub-Sahara Africa.
Sebuliba says the company has now developed new growth strategies and with increased rollout of its network to existing operations and the vision of helping people develop through the use of telecommunications is turning real.
“One of our key slogans is Count on us, and everyday we strive to make a difference in people’s lives by providing them with a network that is rewarding to their needs. We understand that mobile phones can offer a cost-effective means of providing service to rural and remote areas where infrastructure is always limited,”
Stephen Kavuma, MD of Cellular Galore, a Celtel dealership says the network’s quality has been a major boost for its outlook in the market and its growth tells of the innovative minds that drive the network and its relationship with the customer.
To this, Celtel Uganda’s insurance broker and risk managers AON Corporation agree.
Our relationship with Celtel as their insurers has been on for at least five years and with no doubt, their success is well earned, the company being an ambitious organisation that we have at least seen perform on the market,” says Maurice Amogola AON Uganda’s deputy Managing director.
For 11 years and still counting, Celtel’s Sebuliba says the going can only get better for its subscribers and the community as the company continues on its path of delivering the best telecommunications solutions and engaging communities in activities geared at ‘Making Life Better.’
Celtel transforms lives
A major milestone for Celtel to date is marking 11 years, but beyond its business, the company is also celebrating the success of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives that are transforming lives.
Martin Sebuliba, Celtel Uganda’s marketing manager for communication, says the company has increased its sensitivity to the communities through its slogan ‘Making life better.’ The aim of the CSR initiatives is to create a life changing impact on the lives of its customers and the community in which the company operates.
The company’s CRS initiatives are aimed at strengthening communities by addressing education, social and cultural needs.
Presently, Celtel is supporting the universal primary education (UPE) programme through, the ‘Build our nation,’ initiative. The mega initiative supports education in Africa and was launched by Prime Minister, Apolo Nsibambi at Katwe Primary School. Fifty three schools will receive Primary Seven textbooks for all subjects under the programme.
“We believe that education is fundamental to empowering communities and helping secure the future. We hope that by supporting the regeneration of facilities in schools and educational projects, Celtel can make a difference and help make life better in Africa,” Marten Pieters Chief Executive Officer, Celtel International, said at the launch.
Presently, 16 UPE schools in eastern Uganda have been drawn to receive the next round of books under the initiative. The schools were selected in a draw at Nauyo Primary School in Mbale.
On the music scene, Celtel, has for the past four years been supporting Uganda’s premier music honours, the Pearl of Africa Music (PAM) Awards.
At the moment, the biggest talk among Celtel subscribers is who will win the in demand house in the ongoing “Say yes and win a house,” where a house in the Akright’s Kakungulu Estates on Entebbe Road is at stake. Sebuliba says the eight-week promotion aims at rewarding clients for their support and making life better for struggling Ugandans whose dream is to build a house.
In 2003, Celtel Uganda moved for a sh140m sponsorship package to The Aids Support Organisation (TASO) to support its life changing HIV/AIDS care and treatment programme.
Recently, the company signed a deal with the Uganda Taxi Operators and Drivers Association to install payphones in commuter taxis. The phone service dubbed ‘One4all’ will enable customers communicate while on the move. The initiative is expected to cover all taxi parks in the country, but will initially start with taxi parks in Kampala.
Celtel has also painted all major markets in the city in its red and yellow colours.
