Plan to expand cooperation with African countries such as Nigeria, South Africa, Malawi, and Benin

KT announced that it has completed the construction of a nationwide 4G LTE network in Rwanda at the 'Transform Africa Summit 2018,' Africa's largest ICT conference, held in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, from the 7th to the 10th (local time).

The event was attended by many domestic and international dignitaries, including ICT leaders from over 10 African countries such as Rwanda’s Minister of Information and Communications Jean de Dieu Rurangirwa and Angola’s Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Maria Do Rosario Braganca Sambo, as well as Ambassador Kim Eung-joong to Rwanda. They celebrated the successful establishment of Africa’s first nationwide LTE network and showed keen interest in the network, which has achieved 95% coverage relative to the population.

To overcome the limitations of being a landlocked country with limited resources and territory, Rwanda is actively pursuing "industrial development through human capacity development and ICT activation" as a core national agenda. Rwanda has 8.6 million mobile subscribers out of a population of approximately 12 million, of which more than 1.15 million are estimated to be smartphone subscribers.

With the rollout of this nationwide LTE network, it is expected that a large number of Rwandan citizens will be able to experience high-speed networks. The Rwandan government expects that the establishment of this nationwide LTE network will lay the groundwork for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and contribute to improving the quality of life for the people of Rwanda.

The construction of the nationwide LTE network in Rwanda is an achievement accomplished three years and six months after the establishment of KTRN (KT Rwanda Networks), a joint venture (JV) with the Rwandan government in 2013, and the commencement of commercial service in the capital, Kigali, in November 2014. It is receiving significant attention as an excellent example of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project in Africa, achieved through close cooperation between a foreign operator and the local government.

Based on its business experience in Rwanda, KT plans to seek to expand cooperation with various African countries, including Nigeria, South Africa, Malawi, Benin, and Senegal.

Rwanda’s Minister of Information and Communications, Jean de Dieu Rourangirwa, stated, “The completion of the nationwide 4G LTE network is a great achievement made possible through the close cooperation between the Rwandan government and KT,” adding, “We will provide active support at the government level to improve the quality of life for the people by promoting the full-scale expansion of service usage.”

“The completion of the nationwide LTE network in Rwanda is significant as it provides an opportunity to realize a ‘Smart Rwanda’ and drive the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said Yoon Kyung-rim, Vice President and Head of KT’s Global Business Promotion Office. “Based on our success in Rwanda, KT will expand business cooperation not only in Africa but also globally.”