Sudatel Facts and Figures
The (Endless) Success Story, Sudatel
Sudatel’s national economic role
Moving towards Regional and International
The (Endless) Success Story, Sudatel
Telecommunications began in Sudan in 1859, using wired communications in Swakin town on the Red Sea coast, eastern Sudan; it was there that Britain established a line to link the Sudan to its other colonized countries in Central and Northern Africa and as far as India.
In 1866, telegraph lines were set up linking Egypt and Sudan during the Turkish rule which were expanded to more than 3,000 miles. The first land telephones were installed in 1897 coinciding with the establishment of the Sudan Railway Corporation network. However, there was a further rapid growth when wireless telephones were introduced in 1919 and telephone centers were established in different Sudanese towns. In 1927, Khartoum’s telephone centers had a capacity of 600 lines. Later in the same year, telephone networks in the South of Sudan were also established. However, it was not until 1948 that a main trunk line was established between Khartoum and Cairo. Following which there was an expansion linking international trunk communications with the USA and Switzerland in the same year. From the period 1956 – 1964, a number of isolated automatic call centers were established in remote areas. Gradually, the general telephone network was distributed into many Sudanese towns until the modernization of the Khartoum network took place in 1970 and opened up the way for the introduction of the microwave network connecting many Sudanese towns and making direct communication possible whilst providing a better and improved service for the broadcasting of the television and radio stations. In 1974, satellite stations were installed in Um Harass and at that time the telecommunication’s traffic was managed by the General Post Office but was later transferred to the Wire and Wireless Corporation in 1970 recognized as the national body for wire and wireless telecommunication in 1987.
The Birth of Sudatel
The National Salvation Government adopted free trade policies and began to implement new strategy as early as 1990 when it introduced the denationalization policy to boost stagnated national corporations. The telecommunication’s industry was one of the first sectors to be reformed under the new policy. It represented the cornerstone of the comprehensive development program espoused by the government. In March 1993, the National Wire and Wireless Corporation was superseded by a public share company called the Sudan Telecommunications Company (Sudatel). The major transformation in the communication field in Sudan had begun.
Aims of the Company
- Comprehensively provide developed information and communication services using the latest technology to meet the developmental infrastructure needs of the nation
- Use the latest up-to-date technology to broaden our telecommunication coverage; to raise our operational network capacity and to turn out highly qualified personnel
- Improve our network quantitatively and qualitatively
- Emerge as a carrier for regional traffic between Africa and the rest of the world
- Boost our company’s continued success, making profits and competing internationally
- Expand our service base to cover remote areas by using the most modern technology
Sudatel Facts and Figures
Sudan Telecommunications Company (Sudatel)
Founded and Established: March 1993
Working capital: $750 million
Paid up share capital: $744, 929, 39
Number of shares: 10 thousand
- The most successful project implemented in 1993 as a result of the Sudan’s denationalization policy
- The first Sudanese company to float its shares on the regional stock market (Abu Dhabi & Bahrain)
- The most active share turnover company on the Khartoum Stock Exchange since 1997
- The first company in the Middle East to changeover from an analog to a digital system
- The first Arabian telecommunication company awarded the ISO certificate
- One of the first companies to use the third generation technology (3G) mode of communication
- The sixth ranked Arabian telecommunications company in the year 2006
- The largest public limited company in Sudan with ten thousand shareholders
- Capital investors are from eight countries (Saudi Arabia – Emirates – Qatar – Yemen – Bahrain – Iran – Sultanate Oman – Jordan), fourteen local and regional banks and eighty local and foreign companies
- Regional carrier between Arab, Africa and the Rest of the world
- Linked to Saudi Arab through underwater sea cables
- Linked through fiber-optic cables to Egypt
- Since 1999, uses 2 million dollars of its profit share every year to support social welfare community projects in health, water and orphan care. Last year it raised this figure to 4 million dollars.
The Road to Success
Sudatel began as a regional carrier in 1994 and since that time we have adopted advanced technology in the communication sector and worked continuously to renew and upgrade our network system; installing modern equipment and making Sudan one of the strongest telecommunication companies in the world. Our continued success has not just been at local level, (awarded the Star Laureate from the government 2001) but (at regional level) we also became the second Arabian communication company to be awarded the ISO certificate. We are the first company in the Middle-East to change from an analog to a digital system.
Major Investment Company
The rapid development of the company has given Sudatel an outstanding reputation and we have become well-known on the regional stock markets of Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. Our company has been the most active share businesses on the Khartoum Stock Exchange since 1997 and has also a large share in local investor funds with more than 10 thousand shareholders in Sudan and abroad. The company has so attracted Arab and foreign investment that shareholders emanate from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Yemen, Bahrain, the Sultanate of Oman and Jordan. In addition, there are fourteen local banks and more than 80 regional Sudanese companies that own shares. Sudatel itself has shares in a number of companies including the African satellite company RASCOM, Thuraya Communication Company, Arab Cables Company and Mobitel (shares sold 2005). Our company’s share capital reached 443 million dollars in 2005 and then 662 million dollar in 2006 which is exceptional considering that the base capital figure of 750 million dollars.
Advanced Services
Sudatel actively participates to keep the comprehensive development of the company moving forward. This has become an important means to attract foreign investors in different major sector; such as the petroleum industry, agriculture, security, health and education. Nowadays, the economy allows for an ease of information transference at all levels. Communication technology is the main vehicle towards globalization. Our country has moved into distanced learning and telemedicine services via the Internet, including the Electronic and Commerce library and works in integrated system. The digital network covers the entire Sudan with fibre-opitic reach of more than 7000 kilometers and the company covers more than 700 towns and villages. Sudatel is now establishing a plan to install wireless networks using third generation technology; the latest services in the telecommunications world. The first phase has been able to reach more that 300 stations by which remote areas are now provided Internet services. This means that Sudan has become one of few Arabian countries able to establish remote area networks. Our efforts to expand have continued in the installation of land phones that use second generation network technology and combine audio and informational data networks.
Sudatel’s national economic role
The development in the communication field is the most significant factor in attracting foreign and regional Arab investors to Sudan and in turn helping to boost Sudan’s national economy. It has also brought about economic, cultural and social benefits. Our services allow companies to built interior networks and communicate with different branches and link to head offices through Electronic Commerce (EC). Moreover, Sudatel supports the educational programs providing resources to the students via the Internet and making links between the universities through video-conferencing allowing a lecturer to teach many students in different locations at the same time. This also allows the students to interact with the lecturer and affords the student the ability to ask questions.
The establishment of the company has given an opportunity to many Sudanese citizens to use the services of more than 500 companies and 30,000 communication centers and 5,000 Internet cafes besides agents and Internet provider services. We link high street banks through national networks assisting banking procedures and making it easier for financial institutions to communicate between different branches. This also allows for quick exchanges inside and outside of the banking corporations. In addition, Sudatel is helping to raise computer literacy throughout the nation by running national training programs through E-Government web networks.
We provide Video-Conferencing facility for the Council of Minister to communicate with the localities throughout all the regions of Sudan through transmitted simultaneously audio-visual images. We also provide assistance in the field of accident and emergency rescue speeding up the arrival times to reaching emergency incidents. In addition, journalists also benefit from speedy information access whether through telephone or by facsimile. This also permits the radio and television broadcasting services to cover many areas making it easy for citizens to interact with different programs through direct communications spreading awareness and increasing knowledge.
We are the cornerstone for the communication companies working in mobile and land telephone industry.
We contribute to increasing social contact and networking through our different services, not merely working in the communication field but opening windows for a annual 2 million dollar contribution to charitable projects like social welfare, health, water, orphan care and peace development concerns.
Moving towards Regional and International
Regional traffic carrier
Sudatel’s ambitions have no boundaries or limitations. Since its inception, it has employed a strategy designed to attain the highest national and international standards. The regional telecommunications traffic link is the first step, established by Sudatel, through underwater cables from Sudan and Saudi Arabia via the Red Sea which replaces satellites in the transmission of audio sound and data information. The second step has been to link Ethiopia in the same manner. Sudatel extends its fiber-optic network to Egypt availing the opportunity for Sudan to build a bridge between the Africa, Arab World and Europe. Besides which, Sudatel has contributed in East Africa cable network from Sudan to South Africa through the India Ocean, this is one of Africa’s truly integrated projects. Furthermore, the supply of river cables crossing the White Nile to Kenya and Uganda completes another circle in African telecommunication’s revolution.