The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) says it was aware of the disinvestment of MTN Group from Namibia and subsequently approved the transfer of shares to its local partners.
This was after The Brief exclusively revealed last month that South African multinational mobile telecommunications company had left Namibia in 2021 and sold off its interest.
“Yes, the Authority was notified and subsequently approved the transfer of shares,” CRAN CEO Emilia Nghikembua told The Brief.
The MTN Group operated in the country for over 20 years through MTN Business Namibia, which was partly owned by Profile Investment Holdings after it acquired a 30% stake in a 2017 deal.
Nghikembua said shareholder changes in the company, now rebranded to Ucom Mobile, will not impact any plans the business might have.
“There was no change in entity, only shareholding. The change therefore does not have any impact on the licence and its conditions. The name change/rebranding is not subject to regulatory approval. The Authority was however notified prior to the change,” she said.
The MTN Group announced plans to launch a mobile service in Namibia five years ago, but the project failed to take off the ground until the company exited the country.
MTN Business Namibia at the time of the disinvestment, mainly provided internet services to individual customers, financial institutions and wholesale customers.
