Oasis, the Congolese operation of Millicom International, has awarded Huawei a turnkey contract to provide a brand new GSM network. Under the first phase of the contract, Huawei will supply and install its Huawei EnerG GSM technical platform and deploy more than 500 base stations across the country. Millicom DRC will be launching the network with a capacity of over 1 million subscribers with a new brand name in Q3 2006. The initial phase of the network will cover 85% the population in the largest 182 cities of the Congo.

Mr. Ga Campan, Oasis Sprl CEO stated, "It's a milestone occasion for both companies. Millicom and Huawei's collaboration will open a new era for the cell phone industry in DRC. DRC is a pioneer in the mobile industry and deserves the highest standard of product quality and services. Our partnership with Huawei will enable us to create a more competitive market for better customer satisfaction."

"Huawei is honored to become Millicom DRC's partner offering a future-proof network and enriched communication experiences to DRC subscribers", said Mr. Jingwen Tao, President of Huawei South Africa. "We look forward to a close long-term partnership with Millicom DRC. With our vision of enriching people's life through communications, Huawei is committed to bringing excellent services and world-class innovative technologies to benefit DRC customers."

The Mobile World reports that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) ended last year with just under 2.8 million customers - which represents a 4.5% market penetration.