Acquisition of LinkAfrica satellite communications business

MSI Cellular, the leading pan African telecoms service provider, with GSM operations throughout the continent, announces that it has acquired LinkAfrica, a satellite telecommunications and data link provider to the African continent.

MSI Cellular ("MSI") has completed the acquisition of satellite communications provider LinkAfrica, formerly known as Afrisat and AfriLink. The acquisition is MSI's first in the area of satellite communications. The benefits to MSI will include reduced connectivity costs as well as accelerated expansion of MSI's networks across Africa, which are known locally under the Celtel brand name.

LinkAfrica provides reliable and cost effective private networks and also connects customer sites through an international gateway near Brussels. It is connected from there to hub locations around the world. Currently LinkAfrica is providing satellite services to customers in Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Guinea. Celtel DRC, MSI's subsidiary, is LinkAfrica's largest individual customer. MSI intends to extend LinkAfrica's coverage initially to some of the other markets where it has or will have international traffic or VSAT rights, including Malawi, Tanzania, Republic of Congo, Uganda and Chad.

Mohamed Ibrahim, Chairman of MSI, said:

"AfriLink has been a pioneer in bringing communications to the continent and this is a unique opportunity to develop the full pan African potential of our networks."

"Strategically, the acquisition makes sense for MSI. Not only does it reduce capacity costs, it also facilitates network roll-out. LinkAfrica will help us provide data and voice connectivity within African countries to areas that cannot be reached by terrestrial solutions, between African countries and between Africa and the rest of the World."

For more details, please contact: Martin de Koning, Celtel Corporate Communications Director, +31 23 554 2671 or +31 6558 22409, deKoning.M@celtel.com