Zain Group subsidiary Celtel Ghana says it will rollout commercial GSM services in Ghana before the end of the year, pledging to make “a significant contribution to the growth” of the local market, reports Telegeography. The operator plans to rebrand itself as Zain Communications Ghana. It has also previously hinted that it plans to rollout EDGE and 3G in the country, the report says. 

The deal follows the acquisition of Ghana’s number two fixed-line operator Western Telesystems Ghana (WESTEL) by Celtel International, a subsidiary of Kuwaiti telecoms group Zain, in December 2007. WESTEL received a license to operate GSM-based mobile services in November 2006. The acquisition expanded Zain’s footprint in Africa to 15 markets and 22 worldwide and the company is reportedly eyeing further expansion in Africa. Recent media reports state that Zain has been given government approval for a US$4.53 billion capital increase in order to fund its foreign expansion plans. Specifically, Ghana is a high-profile mobile market at present. Last week, Vodafone acquired a majority stake in Ghana Telecom, Ghana’s incumbent fixed-line operator and number-three mobile player. At the time Vodafone described Ghana as “one of the most attractive markets in Africa” with mobile subscriber growth at more than 55 percent a year and mobile penetration of around 35 percent.