Korea Zambia Telecom Limited (KOZA), a new internet service provider, plans to establish a Wi-Fi internet service network in Zambia at a cost of $150 million.
The firm a joint venture between Zambian and Korean businessmen is expected to raise the already tense competition in the provision of internet services in a country that only has 10% out of 13 million people with access to internet services.
The company chairman, Sung Man Kim, said so far $3 million has been spent on the construction of modern office block in Solwezi, North-Western province of the country where the company will be based.
The company was however, denied an operating licence in the capital Lusaka by the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA), country’s telecom sector regulator on grounds that the frequency that was applied for is already being used by another company.
“The firm is keen on utilising the Wi-Fi technology from Korea to provide quality and reliable internet services to the local people,” Kim said.
He added, “A team of engineers are already on the site erecting a tower to be used for signal transmission.”
However, the company project manager David Mwanza said although the country’s information and communication technology sector is on track, there is need for more support from the Zambian government in order to encourage more investments in the sector.
Mwanza said the Zambian government must give value added tax (VAT) relief to the sector in order to encourage more investments in the sector.
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