Bharti Airtel keen on investing in Uganda

ign="center">Meanwhile, Ogilvy Africa will guide Airtel''s long-term
Bharti Airtel is eyeing to make an investment of aroundbrand building across the African continent.
$100 mn in Uganda by 2012.This is besides executing campaigns in each of its
Mr. Manoj Kohli, Joint MD of Bharti Airtel has said BhartiAfrican markets.
would make an investment of around $100 mn, whereOgilvy Africa, however, was previously engaged with
a portion of it would go towards network expansion,Zain for planning and media buying across Africa.
distribution, infrastructure and broadband extension inOn the other hand, Team Airtel will also include The
Uganda.Brand Union, who will be responsible for brand
Recently, the company has completed the acquisitionmigration.
process of Kuwait-based Mobile Telecommunications''It will also include Millward Brown for market research,
Zain Africa for $9 bn.along with Hill & Knowlton and Ogilvy PR for all public
The Zain Africa has assets in 15 African countries.relations across all markets.
Mr. Kohli said at the current time the company is aEarlier, Bharti has said that it had tied up the entire
follower in the African market but it is looking itself asfinancing requirement of $8.3 bn for the planned buy,
market leader in the near future.through a series of banks.
He said initially, Bharti is to drive the network into ruralThe Netherlands entity would be routing the $5.5 billion
areas and the next one is affordability throughand the remaining fund would flow through the
infrastructure sharing and reduction of interconnectionSingapore SPV.
rates.Bharti Airtel, formerly known as Bharti Tele-Ventures
Mr. Yesse Oenga, CEO of Zain Uganda has said thatLTD (BTVL) is India''s largest cellular service provider
with the entry of Airtel would positively impact thewith more than 110 million subscribers as of Sep 2009.
country and the industry as well.With this, Bharti is now the worlds third-largest,
Moreover, Bharti Airtel has stated that it has appointedsingle-country mobile operator and sixth-largest
Ogilvy Africa to provide brand building services for itsintegrated telecom operator.
African operations.