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August 25, 2011

Augere Announces Rwandan Expansion; Gears Up For Bringing Broadband to Heart of Africa

By Madhubanti Rudra
TMCnet Contributor

Augere, a company committed to delivering 'broadband for all' to emerging markets, recently announced the expansion of its operations in East Africa.

In a press release, the company announced that it is going to commercially launch its purpose built WiMAX (News - Alert) wireless broadband network in Kigali, Rwanda under the brand name of QUBEE on 25th of this month.

QUBEE will offer fast and reliable broadband Internet access to the people of Rwanda, the company said in the release. It is expected that the network will be helpful in fostering economic development in the area and create significant new opportunities.

In June, Augere obtained a spectrum license to offer wireless broadband services in Tanzania. This new license further expands Augere's coverage in the region and adds to Uganda and Rwanda.

“This is an exciting time for Augere. We are at the forefront of the broadband revolution in emerging markets, and the launch in Rwanda and the new license in Tanzania greatly increase the opportunities for people in the region and for the Augere business,” Global CEO of Augere David Venn said in a statement.

Since its formation in 2007 by Sanjiv Ahuja (News - Alert), the Company has successfully raised more than $250m of finance. Augere's principal shareholders include Harbinger Capital, France Telecom, New Silk Route and Vedanta Opportunity Fund. Augere currently has access to spectrum in Pakistan, Bangladesh, the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in India, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. Access to additional spectrum is being actively pursued across Africa and Asia, the company revealed in the release.

“We are delighted to be bringing this new broadband service to Rwanda, and for the opportunity to begin preparations for our launch in Tanzania. I would like to thank the regulators in Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania for the opportunity to bring fast and reliable broadband to the region,”CEO of Augere East Africa Manzurul Alam added.

Last April, Sanjiv Ahuja said that the UAE still offers tremendous opportunities in the Telecoms and Media sectors, and drew comparisons between broadband penetration there and the huge potential in Africa and Asia, the key initial target markets for his venture, Augere.

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Madhubanti Rudra is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Rich Steeves


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