GreenN Shoots Q3 2013

GreenNSHOOTS

NEWS FROM THE WORLD of GreenN

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Q3 2013

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12NEWSFROMIVORYCOAST

NEWSFROMUGANDA

NEWSFROMSOUTH SOUDAN

NEWS pages

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LAP GreenN sponsorsGraduate Training Program

Airtime for LifeCampaign, no termsno conditions

Nimule independence Concert

Ramadan Action

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WORD FROM THE GROUP CEO

WAFIK SHATER

Dear Colleagues,

Let me start out by saying thank you for your tremendous efforts over the past three months. Despite a number of challenges beyond our control, we closed the third quarter on a firm footing, and we now need to be lazer-focused for the remainder of the year. It is imperative that our fourth quarter is our best performance this year, and I am confident that the team is ready to deliver on this. Commendably, our half-year performance (H1 2013) improved year-on-year, with LAP GreenN’s total subscriber base growing by 16%. Revenues in two of our OpCos increased by over 20% and we reduced EBITDA losses by double digits. The Group is also very close to concluding another settlement agreement with one more of our key suppliers. This is the third settlement of this nature, and is a remarkable achievement for LAP GreenN. The management team has prioritized the conclusion of settlement agreements with our main suppliers for business continuity purposes, as we are very keen to restore our credentials as a responsible player in the market.

We also kicked off a number of CSR initiatives in Libya. We officially launched the Graduate Program, with the objective to train talented young Libyans and help them secure professional placements. The deadline to apply is September 30th, and so far we have received a number of qualified applicants. We also participated in the StartUp weekend in Tripoli, a weekend dedicated to young entrepreneurs who pitch their ideas to well-established Libyan business men. The event was a great opportunity for LAP GreenN to promote its brand in Libya as well as the Graduate Training Program. I recently visited our operations in Uganda, and was very impressed by the level of motivation felt across the organization. I also met with representatives from the Ugandan Government who confirmed the government’s commitment to UTL, and to using its best efforts to grow and sustain the business. I plan to do similar visits to our other operations in the coming months.

There is great sense of urgency and drive that is evident across the Group and the OpCos, and we need to now convert this momentum into results. This is the first year of a three-year turnaround strategy and things are moving in the right direction. Q4 promises to be exciting with our semi-annual event in late October in Libya and the unveiling of our new brand. I am looking forward to it – see you all in Tripoli in a few weeks.

GreenNSHOOTSQ3 | 2013

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NEWSFROMTHE GROUP

Green Power for MobileGPM successfully convened the Africa regional Working Group in Kampala, Uganda late last month. The Working Group was co-hosted with by Uganda Telecom Ltd, UTL (LAP GreenN MNO), and was attended by more than 55 people from different organizations including MNOs, tower companies, ESCOs, vendors, solution integrators, development organizations and government regulators.

The first day of the Working Group comprised a welcome by the Country Representative of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and different sessions on GPM’s Africa Market Analysis reports, highlighting key market statistics focused on the Africa region market and their product portfolio suitable for the telecom industry, including the TCO of their solutions, the current solar market, and operational pressures on margins and reliable telecom operations, and other relevant topics.

Different analyses of the opportunity for green power adoption and its market sizing were provided, which concluded with a presentation by Dimitris Lioulias, LAP GreenN COO, who introduced their turnaround story across group MNOs, and the overall group strategy to address the energy challenges faced by their MNOs in their operating countries.

Mark Shoebridge of Uganda Telecom Ltd gave some background on their strategy, highlighting the driving forces behind the change towards green adoption. Mark explained that improving network energy costs and adopting greener approaches, such as energy efficiency, optimized power purchase and renewable energy, were key elements of their green strategy.

The second day focused on emerging business models for providing energy to telecoms networks.


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NEWSFROMTHE GROUP


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LAP GreenN sponsors Graduate Training Program

LAP GreenN is committed to supporting the education of future leaders and innovators to make the most of their skills and talents. As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility platform, LAP GreenN was proud to launch the LAP GreenN Graduate Training Program, a graduate-level training and professional development program aimed at empowering Libyans by enabling access to professional education and further career development.

The Graduate Training Program will help to develop the capabilities needed to build a chosen career. Candidates will be trained to ensure they have the personal, business and technical skills to take their career wherever they want it to go, and provide them with support to help secure their next career move.

Applications for training were open for a month until September 30th to Libyan graduates from all fields. The next stage is the screening and interviewing of potential candidates, and, finally, selection.

The course will start in the autumn. It offers a four-week English language course at the British Council in Tripoli and a six-week intensive mini-MBA graduate-level executive course with a focus on management and leadership (which may take place abroad).

After completion of training, candidates may be offered internship opportunities with LAP GreenN or they will be provided with assistance in finding roles in other organizations.

You can find more information about the program in the ‘Careers’ section of our website: www.lap-greenn.com

NEWSFROMTHE GROUP


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Sponsoring StartUp Weekend Tripoli V.2

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, LAP GreenN was proud to be a Platinum sponsor of StartUp Weekend Tripoli V.2, which was on September 12th to 14th at Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli.

Startup Weekend is a global grassroots movement of active and empowered entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures. It is the largest community of passionate entrepreneurs with over 400 events in 100 countries around the world in 2011.

Over a long, 54-hour weekend, participants received coaching, training and mentoring by various experts, trainers and leading business executives, to give them a better chance at creating a new business venture or startup. On the last day of the event, individuals and groups pitched their business ideas to a panel of experts who voted on the best ones.

Our LAP GreenN team was also present to provide good visibility of the brand in Libya with almost 150 people in attendance. Alia Senussi, the Group’s brand ambassador and Hend Abdulwahed, the Group’s PR coordinator were coaching the teams to help creating the business startup while Raeid Geblawi, the Group’s Graduate Training Program coordinator was present to promote and answer questions about the training program.

NEWSFROMUGANDA


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Endobo is back!Uganda Telecom has revamped the ENDOBO product with the objective of acquiring new customers through the provision of unlimited UTL to UTL calls all day and a discount on UTL to UTL SMS rates expiring at midnight.

Customers can now simply top up with 1000 shillings airtime and subscribe to ENDOBO to enjoy unlimited UTL to UTL calls and SMS at 50 shillings all day till midnight.

Dash4cash PromotionIn order to improve the awareness of its value-added services, Uganda Telecom launched a promotion dubbed DASH4CASH open to all UTL prepaid and postpaid mobile subscribers. This promotion was launched on Monday 1st July 2013 and ended 22nd September 2013. The promo allowed customers to win 300,000 shillings daily, and weekly there was a grand prize of 30,000,000 shillings.

Customers participated in the promotion by sending an SMS with the key word “WIN” to 156. They get a welcome notification to start participating and receive 50 bonus points. The promo is interactive and the customer accumulates points by answering questions correctly. The more SMSs sent and the more questions answered correctly, the more points earned and the better chances for one to win the aforementioned prizes.

Airtime for Life Campaign, no terms no conditions

Previously, when a customer loaded airtime and did not use the airtime over a period of 180 days, the airtime was forfeited. With the ‘airtime for life’ campaign, airtime will never expire except when used to make a call. Even when the line is disconnected, upon reactivation the customer is reimbursed with the airtime they had on their UTL line at the time of disconnection. In addition, if the customer’s line is disconnected and given to another customer, the customer whose line was disconnected in the first instance is reimbursed with their airtime from the old (disconnected line) to their new UTL number. In a nutshell, customers will never lose their airtime under any circumstances with UTL.

This service is the automatic right of every registered prepaid customer of UTL, whether a fixed or mobile prepaid service.

The advertising has three popular celebrities from Uganda and it was the biggest hit on social media in Uganda.

NEWSFROMUGANDA


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Facebook by SMSWhether you own a phone with Internet access or not, you can now access Facebook for free by SMS using any mobile, a free service for all UTL mobile subscribers. To activate Facebook by SMS, a customer should log unto Facebook using any device (computer or mobile phone), go to ‘account settings’, select ‘Mobile’ and follow the instructions to enter and validate their UTL number.

Following the activation, the customer will be able to post messages by sending an SMS to 163, receive friends’ postings by SMS, and get new friends requests and more.


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NEWSFROMUGANDA

Launched August 22nd 2013, BONGA is a new campaign that has been launched on a special CUG, tariff and SIM card. It targets new customers on campus and allows the Boda boda community to call each other at reduced rates. With this campaign, a customer gets: a special SIM at UGX 1000/-, with the profile already activated on the SIM card upon purchase, Facebook by SMS free; a welcome pack: 100 SMS valid for 7 days and the profile comes with cheaper call and SMS rates at different times of the day and different from one network to another. This promotion lasted for three months.

AliveCall your favorite five for as little as UGX 1.25 shillings per second.For the first number under friends and family, UTL to UTL calls cost as little as UGX 1.25 shillings per second. For the next three numbers, UTL to UTL calls cost as little as UGX 2.5 shillings per second. One number on another network calls cost as little as UGX 3 shillings per second. And all SMS on this profile, whether UTL to UTL or UTL to another network, cost only UGX 30 shillings per SMS.

Uganda Telecom launches affordable fixed line ratesToday, good communication is central to the success of any business. UTL is thus revamping the fixed line offers that will apply to new subscribers as a way of acquiring new customers and remaining relevant in today’s ever-competitive market. The offer has different prices for prepaid and postpaid at different times during the day for the On-Net and the monthly fee, as well as an affordable desk phone set @ UGX 65,000/- per set, a discounted installation fee of UGX 120,000/- when using a copper line, or a free installation when using GSM fixed. Customers can walk into any UTL service center country-wide, purchase a brand new landline and enjoy a wide range of telephony benefits for business or home!Its benefits include more calls at the lowest rates, discounts on calls made during the night, and free weekend calls for the first three months from the time of purchase. Customers can pick their preferred number, receive bonus minutes on incoming International calls, and access easy ways to top up and pay their bills. There is a dedicated customer-care help line.


Gemtel’s participation in EACO conference

Gemtel was again the only network chosen by the government to represent South Sudan from July 27th to August 2nd in the recent East Africa Communications Organizations conference and exhibition (EACO), EACO showcased the socio-economic benefits that the telecommunications’ sector presents to the citizens in the East African region. The forum brought together postal, telecommunications, broadcasting and ICT regulatory bodies from the region to seek avenues for the harmonization of ICT policies and regulatory frameworks, with a main focus on broadband and the opportunities it presents for the region.

Gemtel’s participation solidified its position in South Sudan; as a network that is contributing to the social development of the new country in the communication sector.

Gemtel earned the position of first runner-up in the event for being the most hospitable and for showcasing the best customer care. It was the first time Gemtel has been represented in an international exhibition. This has motivated the organization to always strive for the best, have an important role in the society and be exemplary to others.


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GSM trainingTraining in basic GSM technologies and the customer care took place on 20th to 26th September 2013 in Juba and Yei. The training targeted the technical department, NOC, NSS and power and transmission technicians call center advisors, sales executives and customer care executives and public relations. The purpose of the training modules is to help the company achieve its targets and goals more easily, through improved employee performance. The commercial team is the voice of the brand. The training focused on enhancing their knowledge of the GSM technologies, and on improving their efficiency in their roles, which in turn will help to grow the revenue of the company.The training was delivered by Hikima Convergence Technologies.



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Nimule Independence concert

After decades of fighting to free itself from Sudan, South Sudan became the world’s newest sovereign state on July 9, 2011. For the second anniversary of its independence, crowds of people celebrated as if it were the first.

As part of its social responsibility program, Gemtel contributed to the celebration that took place in Nimule, one of the biggest towns in Central Equatoria State at the border with Uganda. Gemtel sponsored a group of young and talented musical artists from Jongolei State (Bor) called the 13012 Stars.

The main purpose of the state independence concert was to promote peace and unity among the nationals. The concert gave Central Equatorians a chance to interact and to enjoy music from a sister state, and it demonstrated to them that peace and unity campaigns practiced in Central Equatoria are the same as those in Jonglei.

From there, Gemtel held a peace and unity campaign and shored up its reputation for promoting peace and unity in the country.

Gemtel sponsors WBGS at WauGemtel is very committed to sports and culture and believes in the importance of developing and contributing in the society. In particular, it recognizes the immense value of physical activity in developing a healthier society. Gemtel continues to support sporting events through different channels. The biggest event it has sponsored was the Western Ba El Ghazal national inter-school cultural and sports tournament (WBGS) held at Wau from June 22nd to July 2nd. The seven-day tournament had a grand opening that hosted dignitaries from the states and guests from the East African community.

At the end of the event, the best players received prizes and trophies. As the official sponsor of the tournament, Gemtel awarded the winning team a cheque for 15,000 SSP and gave out other gifts for each of the best performers (T-shirts, Airtime and Sim packs).

Gemtel plans to continue providing opportunities for young people, particularly in the rural areas, and thereby making real the aspiration of ‘sport for all’.




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NEW SERVICE CENTER IN GUDELE 2Gemtel opened another customer care service center in Gudele 2 and its inauguration ceremony on Monday 26 August 2013 was graced with an official opening by the Minister of Telecommunication and Postal Services Hon. Rebecca Okwaci.

Gemtel CEO Gadfi Mohammed said this was a way for Gemtel to bring its services closer to the community. “Gemtel’s key point of opening up its branch in Gudele 2 is to cut costs on transport that subscribers use to reach our Gemtel Customer care services.”

The Minister hailed the administration for its good effort in expanding their services and urged the public to corporate with Gemtel on the services that brought them closer.

The Minister along with six officials from the Ministry were then taken to inspect the company premises at Gemtel Headquarters.

Gemtel is soon to open another corporate office in Tong Piny, which will create more employment opportunities for the locals. Gemtel intends to extend its footprint to cover 80% of the population by 2013 with its ambitious roll-out program.

Gemtel’s mission is to leave an imprint in each corporate office by delivering the highest quality customer experience to maximize loyalty and profitability across products and services.

Expansion within the country As part of the roadmap to extend and optimize its network, GreenN CI continued to expand coverage in the cities of Méagui (southwest) and Korhogo (north), to test the coverage area of the network and of course to optimize cells to limit coverage losses.To date, Korhogo and Méagui are technically ready for a commercial opening for GreenN CI. The commercial teams are working hard to invest in these cities with the key offers, which are:

GreenN Eco, a registration offer of 250 FCFA for the kit for calls charged at 1F per second to all other networks and free intra network

GreenN Pack, a pack containing a kit sold for 6000 FCFA and contains a monthly bonus of 500 FCFA that will be deposited in the account of the subscriber upon activation of the kit for five months. There are more than 5,000 packs, which the sales team is campaigning to sell in the various cities of the country such as Bouaké, San Pedro, Yamoussoukro and Daloa. Sales of GreenN Pack are in full-swing and are impressively high after only a few days on the market, it is selling so well that the agencies have likened it to a tidal wave.

Ramadan actionRamadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and Muslims worldwide observe it as a month of fasting. Ramadan 2013 in Ivory Coast was particularly rich in feeling for the Muslim community. As GreenN CI is always trying to get closer to its people, it did not miss the opportunity to show its commitment to the Muslim community by offering different deals and quality services for their period of fasting.

The first deal was a service to which people could subscribe for alerts on prayer, fasting and breaking of fast times. To get the service, the customer had to send RAM7 by SMS to 616 for a week-long subscription or RAM30 for the whole-month subscription. Once activated, the subscriber could also participate in a game via SMS to win baskets and prayer mats. The game involved sending the letter R to 616 for a cost of 100F per SMS. Over 30 people received prizes after subscribing to the service. To make the occasion even more remarkable, on August 5th and 6th, more than a ton of rice was distributed through mosques and places of Muslim worship in the capital.Wherever GreenN CI visited, the enthusiasm and gratitude of the winners was visible on their faces. Prayers and blessings were sent to the envoys of the brand and to its managers.This event, so welcomed by the various communities visited, was the subject of coverage by the daily national press.


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NEWSFROMIVORYCOAST

Communo GreenN CI redesigned ! Communo GreenN CI redesigned !

on September 23rd this year, the Communo offer became available.

The new vintage of GreenN Communo offers communication at unbeatable prices. It offers three rates, and is perfectly adapted to meet the needs of every subscriber.

For Communo 1000, for example, the subscriber can communicate for 50 FCFA per minute within the same network and for 70 FCFA per minute with other networks.

For customers on Communo 3000, the charges for calls to mobiles outside the network change decreasing to just 50FCFA per minute.

An additional benefit is that Communo subscribers can call the members of their community free of charge and take advantage of preferential rates during the weekend.

Another innovative and important feature is that some of the profit made from these packages will be donated for the purpose of improving the life of communities, through the financing of projects of a social good nature.

This strategic “face-lift” of the Communo offer represents the speed and agility of the LAP GreenN brand and its insight and responsiveness to the needs of its customers and the communities it serves.

COMMUNO

Pour renforcer vos liens

COMMUNO 1000COMMUNO 2000

COMMUNO 3000


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NEWSFROMIVORYCOAST


A day in the life of Andrew Talbot

Andrew Talbot joined the team as Manager, Project Management Office in April 2013. Prior to this he worked at AMR International in London and Delta Partners in Dubai, where he worked with a number of telecom companies in Africa and the Middle East.

Andrew is from London, UK, and he holds a Masters in Engineering from the University of Oxford.

With LAP GreenN, he has been involved in several initiatives that are building on the solid progress made by the team over the past couple of years. Project management consists of three main roles: project planning, implementation and follow-up. We currently have several projects in each stage; it is Andrew’s role to drive these forward to delivery as efficiently as possible.

On a typical Monday he will refer to his dashboard of project plans to check the deliverables for the week ahead by the multiple stakeholders from both our team and external parties. By noting down the steps needed to achieve each of these, he can then plan the emails, calls and meetings required to ensure delivery and adherence to the project timelines.

It is a challenge to keep on top of the many, many initiatives going on at Group and opco level, and the learning curve is incredibly steep, but the role allows him to have a view of the whole business.

Andrew says that the most rewarding part of the role is witnessing the results of completed projects and the positive impact they have on the Group. Many projects are at an early stage, so he expects to witness their impact in the near future.


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Editorial Committee

Green Shoots has been prepared by Hend Abdulwahed from LAP GreenN, with the collaboration of Iya Koisse Adoum from Gemtel, and Hervé Yao from GreenN CI and Jamal Sultan from UTL If you would like to contribute to our newsletter, or have any feedback or comments to share with us,please contact: Hend Abdulwahed Email: [email protected]

Q3 2013 GreenN Shoots Newsletter

Technology

GreenN Shoots Q3 2013