VimpelCom to invest $1b in Pakisan over five years

Global telecoms group VimpelCom has announced plans to invest $1 billion in its Pakistani operations over the next five years.

The company plans to roll out what it says will be one of the largest and most ambitious IT infrastructures in the industry for its Mobilink and Warid operations.

With the new systems the company aims to ensure faster rollout of new products and services, particularly in areas including mobile entertainment, communications, the IoT and mobile financial services.

Mobilink recently completed a merger with Warid to create Pakistan’s largest mobile operator with over 50 million customers.

The merger was announced  in November last year, won regulatory approval in May and closed at the start of this month.

At a press conference announcing the investment plans Mobilink CEO Jean-Yves Charlier said with the merger 38 million Mobilink customers will be provided with 4G while 12 million Warid customers will be provided with 3G.

He also said around 1,500 joint Mobilink-Warid franchise shops will be opened nationwide. The operator has also made a commitment to the government to roll out services to remote areas.