Zain companies in Africa on Monday began a re-branding exercise into Bharti Airtel following the acquisition of Zain Africa by the Indian telecom giants.
While the re-branding of Zain Uganda is expected on Tuesday November 23rd, Zain Kenya on Monday led the way in East Africa becoming Bharti Aitel Kenya.
The re-branding follows Bharti Airtel $10.7 billion buyout of Zain’s operations in 15 African countries in June 2010 as the Indian company seeks to extend its tentacles across the African continent and become one of the biggest telecom companies in the world.
After the rebranding exercise, Bharti Airtel will be operational in Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
This is the third time the original company is rebranding having been bought by another operator. Zain bough Celtel Uganda (and other Celetel Africa operations) in 2008.
Celtel which was the first telecom company to introduce mobile telephone services in Uganda was over marshaled by second comers MTN Uganda who now control more than 60 percent of Uganda’s estimated 11 million subscribers market.
Bharti Airtel has promised to invest more money into Zain operations and bring calling rates down for the benefit for mobile phones users, and Ugandans will be watching keenly how things play out.
The mobile telecom companies in Uganda have been engaged in a stiff price war that has seen a reduction in per second tariffs from an average of 10 Uganda shillings to three shillings in just two months.
Zain Uganda yesterday announced the offer of a 200 shilling recharge card to customers in Uganda, the lowest possible airtime to buy in Uganda, showing it still has market moving ideas as it prepares to take on a more competitive market under the new brand of Bharti Airtel.
