Local telecommunication devices and airtime solutions provider Simba Telecom has confirmed plans to enhance its market presence and effectiveness by improving its retail distribution capacity.
The Simba Group operating subsidiary, which is also integrated telecommunications firm MTN’s lead distribution partner, is investing more than US$1, 000, 000 in a strategic distribution enhancement programme geared at reaching wider geographical zones.
Speaking when she confirmed the strategic plan to facilitate last-mile access, acquisition and delivery of telecommunication products and services, Simba Telecom Chief Executive Officer Flora Kaheru said the firm has invested in human resources to cover key markets in a bid to enhance technology penetration in Uganda. Simba Telecom, she assured, is focusing heavily on removing barriers affecting the acquisition of quality mobile devices and convenient access to MTN airtime to boost customer experience.
The firm’s retail enhancement programme, she said, will complement recent network expansion efforts by MTN to the far-flung South Western parts of Uganda, including Mbarara, Isingiro, Ishaka, Ntungamo, Ibanda, Rubindi, Rushere and Kabale areas.
Alongside human capital investments, Simba Telecom, she confirmed, has just commissioned a fleet of client service vans to be deployed in the South Western Uganda region. The vans will provide comprehensive customer experience services, including SIM Card sales, Sim swaps, mobile handset and MTN airtime sales, among other solutions.
“The New Year heralds a new dawn for Simba Telecom in our quest to deliver quality distribution services for MTN customers. We are on a corporate journey to remodel our business approach by placing the customer first through enhanced retail access solutions,” Kaheru said.
The new strategy, she reiterated, is geared at accelerating mobile telephony penetration to boost economic and social engagements.
“At Simba Telecom, we consider ourselves economic and social development catalysts. By bringing our services closer to the people, we remain confident that we shall contribute to Uganda’s economic growth. Mobile telephony is now the foundation for ICT access and global connectivity.”
Established in 1998, Simba Telecom is the biggest mobile phone retailer in East Africa, with over 100 retail outlets and is also the largest airtime distributor in the region. Simba Telecom was the launch distribution partner for the South African telecoms network MTN in Uganda, having built a formidable distribution network across the country.
According to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) Q2 2022 market performance report, networks connected more than 1 million new gadgets in the three months ending June 2022. The report covering the quarter starting April to June 2022 noted that this growth brought the total number of connected devices to 36.1 million, up from 35 million at the end of March 2022. Considering a year-on-year comparison, connected devices have grown by 4 million between June 2021 and June 2022 – a 12% growth rate. Consistent with earlier device trends, 40% of all new terminals were smart gadgets, while feature and basic phones accounted for 60% of all network-connected devices. As of June 2022, the total number of internet-enabled gadgets connected to the networks stood at 10.9 million compared to 25 million feature phones and basic phones.
