i2, the leading mobile provider in the Middle East and North Africa, has broadened its distribution network into Angola.

This is in line with their aggressive expansion and the latest move was announced at the GSM›3G event in Cape Town, South Africa, last month.

“Our team has worked hard over the past years to ensure a successful growth for i2. Africa is a huge intact market for us, having recently opened our head office in Johannesburg to oversee all our African operations, we saw Angola as a huge potential. Angola is an ideal place for i2 particularly with our strategic development and interest in the African region,” said CEO, i2,.Abdul Hameed Al Sunaid.

Angola is a market which offers great potential for i2, with an estimated population of 12,263,596; mobile subscribers by the end of 2006 reached 3,009,200, a mobile penetration rate of 24.5 per cent, said an official spokesman.

In 2005 there were an estimated 1,683.000 subscribers, by 2006 this increased by 1,371,200 approximately 83.7 per cent.  Having witnessed such rapid growth in the market, it makes obvious business sense for i2 to expand into Angola at this present time.

i2 has already opened two retail shops in Angola, besides the company has an aggressive plan to cover most of the main cities in Angola over the next 24 months by extending its numerous customer touch points to its new market such as  mobile points of sale, and other value added services such as i2 magazine, i2 club. – TradeArabia News Service