The MTN Group is monitoring threats to its Afghanistan operation closely, but feels threats made by the Taliban will have no impact on its operations there.
Earlier this week, international news reports from the BBC and Associated Press quoted a Taliban spokesman saying the country's four cellular network operators should cease operating their networks between the hours of 5pm and 3am.
Reportedly, the Taliban claimed foreign troops stationed in the country, mainly from Nato nations, were using the cellular networks to track its insurgents throughout the war-torn country.
The Taliban, deposed by the US and members of the country's current government, in 2002, has been waging an insurgency war since. It has threatened to attack the cellular base stations and towers within three days if its ultimatum is not met.
A statement from the MTN Group says: "The MTN Group is aware of reports of the Taliban communicating a need for mobile operations to be suspended at certain times during the night in sensitive areas. We are evaluating the situation and liaising with our executives and relevant authorities in Afghanistan. The MTN Group does not expect this to have a material impact on its operations in Afghanistan. No further details can be made available at this stage."
MTN Group has made a name for itself by entering markets that many other operators felt were too risky. Its foreign operations include countries such as Nigeria, Liberia, Iran and Afghanistan.
MTN Group won its Afghanistan rights in 2005 and is one of four cellular licensees in Afghanistan, along with Afghan Wireless Communication Company, Roshan and Etisalaat. As at 30 September 2007, MTN Afghanistan achieved 66% growth in its subscriber base, to 877 000, and the average revenue per user was $11, or R82.
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