{{Short description|Tanzanian mobile communications company}} {{Infobox company | name = Viettel Tanzania Public Limited Company (Halotel) | logo = Logo_new_Halotel.png | type = [[Public company|Public]] | area_served = [[Tanzania]] | key_people = Bui Van Thang '''(Managing Director)''' | industry = [[Telecommunication]]s | products = [[GSM]]-related products <br /> [[Internet service provider|Internet services]] | num_employees = 702 | num_employees_year = F.Y. 2023)<ref name=daily6116>{{cite news|title=Hello Tanzania as 3G Halotel plans pan-territorial coverage|url=http://dailynews.co.tz/index.php/home-news/45752-hello-tanzania-as-3g-halotel-plans-pan-territorial-coverage|access-date=7 January 2016|agency=Daily News|work=Daily News|date=6 January 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111811/http://dailynews.co.tz/index.php/home-news/45752-hello-tanzania-as-3g-halotel-plans-pan-territorial-coverage|url-status=dead}}</ref> <br />(<small>Tanzanian Employees</small> | parent = [[Viettel Mobile|Viettel Group]]
| | founded = {{start date and age|15 October 2015}} | location = Tanzanite Park, New Bagamoyo Road, [[Dar es Salaam]], [[Tanzania]] | website = {{URL|http://www.halotel.co.tz/}} }}
'''Viettel Tanzania Public Limited Company''', trading as '''Halotel''', is a [[Mobile telecom|mobile communications]] company, providing voice, messaging, data and communication services in [[Tanzania]]. It is owned by [[Viettel|Viettel Global JSC]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://viettelglobal.vn/|title=Viettel Global JSC}}</ref> which is the state-owned Investment Company from [[Vietnam]] investing in the Telecommunications market in several countries worldwide. It has invested up to $1 Billion into the Tanzania's telecommunications market.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://halotel.co.tz/|title = Halotel - Who we are|access-date = 2015-12-20|archive-date = 2023-03-21|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230321175006/https://halotel.co.tz/|url-status = dead}}</ref> The Company was the first company in Tanzania allowed to lay its own [[Fiber-optic communication|fiber optic]] cable and has placed over 18,000 km of optic fiber, providing all 26 [[Regions of Tanzania|regions]] of Tanzania with telecommunication services.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Viettel Tanzania wins award for its investment projects - News VietNamNet|url = http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/science-it/137515/viettel-tanzania-wins-award-for-its-investment-projects.html|website = english.vietnamnet.vn|access-date = 2016-01-05|archive-date = 2018-11-09|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181109070727/https://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/science-it/137515/viettel-tanzania-wins-award-for-its-investment-projects.html|url-status = dead}}</ref>
The Tanzanian telecom market is one of the most competitive markets in Africa and Tanzania has over 79% mobile phone penetration.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.tcra.go.tz/images/documents/telecommunication/telcomStatsJune15.pdf|title = TCRA June 2015 Statistics|date = June 2015|access-date = 5 January 2015|website = tcra.go.tz|publisher = Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority}}</ref> The company aims to capitalize on the providing a very wide coverage as quickly as possible and the company claims to cover over 81% of the country's area soon to be the higher than any of the major providers.<ref>{{Cite web|title = A company owned by Vietnam's military will put $1 billion into Tanzania's mobile market|url = https://qz.com/530603/a-company-owned-by-vietnams-military-will-put-1-billion-into-tanzanias-mobile-market/|website = Quartz|access-date = 2016-01-05|language = en-US}}</ref>
== History == Halotel was launched in October 2015 and deployed in all 26 Tanzanian regions.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.telegeography.com/products/commsupdate/articles/2015/07/29/viettel-to-launch-in-tanzania-in-oct-15-under-halotel-banner/|title = Viettel to launch in Tanzania in Oct-15 under Halotel banner|access-date = 2015-12-20|website = TeleGeography|publisher = [[Primerica]]|archive-date = 2016-03-04|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092516/https://www.telegeography.com/products/commsupdate/articles/2015/07/29/viettel-to-launch-in-tanzania-in-oct-15-under-halotel-banner/|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://techmoran.com/viettel-invests-736-million-to-launch-in-tanzania-as-halotel/|title = BUSINESS Viettel invests $736 million to launch in Tanzania as Halotel|date = October 15, 2015|access-date = 2015-12-20|publisher = TechMoran|archive-date = 2015-12-22|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151222124143/http://techmoran.com/viettel-invests-736-million-to-launch-in-tanzania-as-halotel/|url-status = dead}}</ref> This was Viettel's fourth investment in Africa after [[Movitel, SA|Movitel]], [[Lumitel]] and Nexttel in Mozambique, Burundi and Cameroon respectively.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.cio.co.ke/news/top-stories/viettel-launches-mobile,-internet-services-in-tanzania-through-halotel|title = Viettel launches mobile, internet services in Tanzania through Halotel|date = October 15, 2015|access-date = 2015-12-20|website = CIO East Africa|publisher = [[International Data Group]]|last = Jefwa|first = Baraka|archive-date = 2016-03-04|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084015/http://www.cio.co.ke/news/top-stories/viettel-launches-mobile,-internet-services-in-tanzania-through-halotel|url-status = dead}}</ref> Viettel started investing in the country in 2011 and planned $736 million in investment after the then president [[Jakaya Kikwete]] made a state visit to [[Vietnam]]. The goal of the [[Politics of Tanzania|government]] was to encourage rural mobile connectivity in the country where and the [[Politics of Tanzania|government]] saw fit to increase competition by allowing Viettel to operate in the country.<ref name=":0" />
The entry of Viettel also saw further liberalization of the communication sector, where the government allowed private companies to lay their own optic fiber cables. The company had promised to connect several public institutions around the country with the optic fibre network and connect over 1500 villages to the telecommunication grid that were previously not served.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Tanzania Allows Viettel to Lay Its Own Fibre Optic Cable|url = http://allafrica.com/stories/201510260542.html|website = allAfrica.com|publisher = Allafrica|access-date = 2016-01-05}}</ref> The company also tried to partner with state-owned energy company [[Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited]] (TANESCO) to use TANESCO's power poles to serve as antennas, however due to high costs the plan was abandoned.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.ipsos.co.ke/NEWBASE_EXPORTS/TIGO/151025_The%20%20EastAfrican_36_a4dd0.pdf|title = Tanzania allows Viettel to lay its own fibre optic cable|date = 25 October 2015|access-date = 5 January 2015|publisher = The East African|last = Kabendera|first = Erick}}</ref>
In 2015, the company obtained licenses to operate its mobile money services HALOPESA. At this time around 32% of the country was already using mobile banking from other providers<ref>{{Cite web|title = Tanzanie: l'entrée de Viettel annoncée dans le Mobile Money|url = https://www.agenceecofin.com/monetique/2810-33454-tanzanie-l-entree-de-viettel-annoncee-dans-le-mobile-money|website = Agence Ecofin|access-date = 2016-01-05|language = fr-fr}}</ref>
== Coverage == Halotel currently covers all regions of Tanzania with its 2G and 3G network via the 900MHz, 1800MHz and 2100MHz Frequency Spectrums and is on an ongoing deployment of telecommunication towers and sites to cover all regions with its 4G network. To improve on its 4G coverage and capacity, Halotel obtained additional 2600MHz Frequency Spectrum as auctioned off by the [[Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority]] in October 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TCRA {{!}} Spectrum Auctioning |url=https://tcra.go.tz/services/spectrum-auctioning |access-date=2023-04-28 |website=tcra.go.tz}}</ref>
== Subscription and Market Share == As of March 2023, Halotel boasts a total of 8,146,036 subscribers out of the 61.9 Million Mobile telecommunication services subscribers in Tanzania which is a 13% market share.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=TCRA {{!}} Statistics |url=https://tcra.go.tz/services/statistics |access-date=2023-04-28 |website=tcra.go.tz}}</ref> Halotel through its [http://www.halopesa.co.tz/ HaloPesa] mobile money service boasts a sum of 3,821,098 subscribers with access to the service in the country, a total of 9% market share in the Mobile financial services space.<ref name=":1" />
== Viettel Group == {{Main|Viettel Mobile}} [[File:Viettel Global operating countries map.svg|thumb|350px|Map showing countries with Viettel Group presence]] Viettel Group is a [[Vietnam]] based telecommunications group. It is a [[state-owned enterprise]] wholly owned and operated by the [[Ministry of Defence (Vietnam)|Ministry of Defence]] of Vietnam. The company has a customer base of over 75 million as of 2014 and made over $8 billion in revenue.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Viettel Group|url = http://viettel.com.vn/Our_Key_Figures.html|website = viettel.com.vn|access-date = 2016-01-05|author=<!--staff writer-->}}</ref> {{As of|2015|December}},the Group has subsidiaries in:<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.viettelglobal.vn/about-us/introduction.html|title = Viettel Group Profile|access-date = 2015-12-20|publisher = Viettel Group}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" |+Viettel Group global subsidiaries (December 2015) ! colspan="2" |Africa ! colspan="2" |Americas ! colspan="2" |Asia |- |{{Flag|Burundi}} |[[Lumitel]] |{{Flag|Haiti}} |Natcom |{{Flag|Cambodia}} |Metfone |- |{{Flag|Cameroon}} |Nexttel |{{Flag|Peru}} |Bitel |{{Flag|Laos}} |Unitel |- |{{Flag|Mozambique}} |[[Movitel, SA|Movitel]] | | |{{Flag|East Timor}} |Telemor |- |{{flag|Tanzania}} |Halotel | | |{{flag|Myanmar}} |Viettel Mytel |- | | | | |{{Flag|Vietnam}} |[[Viettel Mobile]] |}
==See also== {{Portal|Tanzania|Telecommunication}} *[[Telecommunications in Tanzania]] *[[Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority]]
== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
== External links ==
{{Tanzania telecom operators}} {{Economy of Tanzania}} {{Telecommunications}}
[[Category:Telecommunications companies of Tanzania]] [[Category:2015 establishments in Tanzania]] [[Category:Telecommunications companies established in 2015]] [[Category:Mobile phone companies of Tanzania]] [[Category:Viettel]]