Mobile operator MTN says Dubai will host its new company, GlobalConnect, because the city is a technological hub that connects Africa and the Middle East with the rest of the world.

MTN Group announced yesterday that GlobalConnect, the company's wholesale infrastructure firm, is now an operating company of the group and will be headquartered in Dubai.

"Along with its multicultural and highly skilled workforce, it is a location for many of our partners. Global connectivity is not only about networks and services. We have the majority of our teams in operating companies (countries where MTN is present) with local knowledge and acting as interfaces for our internal and external partners," MTN says.

MTN says GlobalConnect's standardised product service level agreements and order entry for its roaming, interconnect, mobility services and capacity will be an add-on for the telco's 236 million subscribers in Africa and the Middle East, to easily do business.

MTN GlobalConnect is now the main driver and commercial vehicle for the consolidation of MTN's international and national major wholesale activities, the company notes, with reliable solutions for fixed connectivity and international mobile services (SMS, signalling, roaming and interconnect).

The operator says locally, MTN GlobalConnect will support and fuel incremental business for South Africa and streamline, through a single point of contact, more business from and to South Africa and other MTN operating companies.

"On the mobile side, our Y'elloConnect Hubs enable high-quality interconnection for voice, roaming services, international messaging as well as value-added services. On fixed connectivity, MTN operating companies and partners that work with MTN GlobalConnect benefit from the largest fibre network in Africa," MTN explains.

Frédéric Schepens, CEO of MTN GlobalConnect, says the new infrastructure operating company GlobalConnect has "a divine mission to make sure everyone is connected securely and makes the highways of telecommunication accessible and available across the region".

Schepens recently said: "We are the single entry point to the largest network infrastructure in Africa. Over 100 000km of fibre is available and over 10 000km is being built to expand its core backbone, stitching most of the African countries."

Commenting on the latest development yesterday, MTN Group COO Jens Schulte-Bockum said: "I am pleased that after less than two years of operation, MTN GlobalConnect has exceeded expectations, growing its customer base and revenue ahead of targets. I have no doubt that the team, led by Frédéric, will continue to build on their gains to drive value to our operations, and lead MTN's ambition to build Africa's leading wholesale company."