Due to the competitiveness in the telecommunication industry in the region, Rwandatel started roaming with other networks. Rwandatel is already roaming with Kenya, Uganda, Burundi; DRC and Tanzania. Out side the region the company is now roaming with Belgium, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Uganda Telecom (UTL), a Ugandan telecommunication company subscribers can call and receive calls while in Rwanda. The company has been roaming with Rwandatel since end last year. According to Rwandatel’s Corporate Communications Manager, Cleophas Kabasiita, UTL subscribers started roaming with Rwandatel about two weeks after the company launched their 3G GSM network in December ’08. UTL is owned by LAP Green the company that bought 80 percent stakes from the government owned Terracom which is now called Rwandatel. Kabasiita also explained that Rwandatel is having a borderless network with UTL, so there are no extra charges exerted on subscribers roaming from UTL and Rwandatel. Also Rwandatel subscribers can also roam with UTL while they cross to Uganda. The CCM explained that UTL subscriber doesn’t need to apply to the company to roam but it is rather controlled by the parent network, were Rwandatel only gives the roaming customer access once it is allowed by their operator. Uganda’s UTL is one of the foreign telecom companies where LAP Green has a stake. It owns 69 percent shares. Rwandatel signed a contract with a company called Telecom Italia, it has 400 roaming networks and by end this year Rwandatel will be able to roam with all these networks. Only MTN Rwanda, MTN Uganda, Vodacom and Safaricom have been offering a cross-border network under the ‘Home and Away’ package. Ends
