Telephone expansion under way in Sudan

The Sudanese telecommunications company, Sudatel, has launched a short-term program to broaden its customer base, the pan-African news agency PANA reported.

The program, called Hello One, will continue through March 31 with the aim of providing telephone services to 55,000 new customers, the managing director of Sudatel, Abdulaziz Osman, said Wednesday.

Under the program, would-be clients will have a 20- percent cut in connection fees.

Osman added that set price and connection cost will be installed over 6-8 months as direct international telephone subscription fees were reduced by 50 percent and night call prices cut by 40 percent.

Sudatel started as a private firm in 1994, replacing the state-run National Telecommunications Corporation.

Ever since, it has shown steady profit increase which was capped by a record high of $42 million US in December 1998.