 Information Technology: an emerging sector |
The
Information Technology sector is yet another sector where Mauritius wants to emerge.
Recently a Copyright Bill including the protection of IT was enacted. Immediately
afterwards, Microsoft opened its regional headquarters there. Afterwards, an Information
and Technology Bill was adopted by the Mauritian parliament in order to include all the
necessary safeguards. As regards to the preservation of electronically recorded public
archives, security, computer fraud and computer misuse. «Our national IT strategy plan is
to prepare ourselves to be an IT exporter. We are networking Mauritius, we are putting the
government on the Internet, and we are building a Government Information Infrastructure,
which will allow us to build a National Information Infrastructure. The two main projects
identified are the Government Information Infrastructure and the Mauritius National
Identity Card including use of smart card technology» comments Mr. Sarat Lallah, Minister of Telecommunications and Information
Technology.
The setting up some years ago of an Informatics Park has attracted
various international companies to start operations in Mauritius. It is equipped with
modern satellite communication facilities and provides high bandwidth services such as
ISDN dedicated lines, 2Mbps digital leased line, 64 KBPS X 25 access to Internet and video
conference facilities on ISDN.
Mauritius Telecom (MT) is playing an
important role not only at home but also in the region with possibilities to develop the
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) in some African countries. Mauritius Telecom has
signed a contract with the American firm Qualcomm to install 50 000 lines using
the CDMA in Mauritius which will bring the telephone network to all remote places in
Mauritius. The installation will begin in early 1999. Mr Megh Pillay, Chief Executive of Mauritius Telecom has
stated, that MT would develop this system in certain other countries of the Southern African Development
Community (SADC). The MT is proposing its services to develop conventional
technologies and the GSM mobile phone in Africa. « MT signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with France Telecom during Africa Telecom 98 in May to set up a GSM
operation together with a local company in Madagascar. They are also working with the
Comores, Mozambique and with the Republic of Kenya, for the extension of their network. MT
already has international roaming agreements with more than 60 GSM operators world-wide.»
|  Privatisation of Mauritius Telecom |
The Mauritian government has agreed for the privatisation of the
Mauritius Telecom. The privatisation process will be carried out in four stages. « I can
only state that many operators have already identified their interest namely France
Telecom, Telecom South Africa, SPC of the United States, British Telecom and Cable
and wireless among others» said Mr Megh Pillay.
The mobile phone is also well established in Mauritius where fierce
competition exists between Mauritius Telecom and Emtel of the Currimjee
Group. It is expected that both shares of the market will add to a 100 000
mobile phone users by the end of 1999 or early in year 2000. Up to now the teledensity is
22 per 1000 inhabitants, the cellular mobile telephone is 48 per 1000 inhabitants and
Internet subscribers is 12 per 1000 inhabitants.
The
telephone network is fully digital. One of the most important priority at the moment is
the installation of a Submarine Fibre Optics Cable, which will link South Africa with the
Far East, passing through Mauritius by the year 2000. This will link Mauritius to the GI
Superhighway and boost opportunities for electronic commerce. This project is part of a
global super-highway project as there are other projects like the South Africa-European
Union project which links the West coast of Africa with Europe, and the latter already has
another cable which goes to the United States of America. «We want to create a
multi-media industry in Mauritius as we can train our people easily. We can give a lot of
opportunities and facilities to any company that wishes to establish operations on the
island» said Minister Lallah.
The commercial sector is dominated by four main groups of firms namely
the Rogers Group, the IBL Group, the Currimjee Jeewanjee Group and the Happy World Group.
All of them are among the 100 top companies of Mauritius. IBL and Currimjee Jeewanjee are
firmly established in the region whereas Happy World have just signed a joint-venture with
the Bourbon Group of Reunion Island which is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange. There has
recently been a restructuring of the Rogers Group which is the No 1 Compagnies in
Mauritius and which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The group has been split in in
different clusters and thus developping a regional strategy in order to continue to
promote its expansion in the field of tourism, aviation, shipping, offshore in the
countries of the region namely Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzanie, OUganda, Kenya, India.
According to its Chief Executive Derek Taylor: « All the divisions within the Rogers
Group are rather independent and each company has its own board of directors where Rogers
generally owns more than 50% of shares, which mean that we control the companies and that
we also have a majority of directors of Rogers on the different boards. Tourism is today
one of the main activities of the Rogers Group which through Beachcomber Ltd and others
subsidiary companies, has a controlling interest and manages some of the top hotels of the
island.» |
