MTN will continue to operate in Syria and maintain services as best as possible, although the safety of its staff comes first, says group CEO and president Sifiso Dabengwa.
Clashes between opposing factions are having a negative effect on the company's ability to keep operations running. Dabengwa says that, at any given time, up to half of its sites are down.
The West Asian country borders Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan and Israel. Since March 2011, it has been embroiled in civil war in the wake of uprisings, considered an extension of the Arab Spring against president Bashar al-Assad and the neo-Ba'athist government.
Wikipedia notes that an alternative government was formed by the opposition umbrella group, the Syrian National Coalition, in March 2012. It has been recognised by several nations, including the US, UK and France.
Dabengwa says the problem is a lack of access to sites, although the strife is mostly limited to outside Damascus. He says MTN will bear with the situation until it is resolved.
While it continues to provide services, it has to take into consideration the safety of its people, says Dabengwa. He notes that some services are now being provided from Beirut.
MTN has also disconnected 521 000 subscribers and now has a base of 5.5 million customers. Capital spending and improvements to its network have also come to a standstill, says Dabengwa.
MTN entered the country in 2002 and has a build-operate-transfer licence that comes to an end in 2016/17, says Dabengwa. He says it wants to stay in Syria so that, when the situation settles, it can apply for a "normal" licence.
At the moment, it is safety first and then "do what you can do", says Dabengwa. Power availability is also decreasing.
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