Onatel (Telmob)

Onatel Logo

Country/Region

Company Name

Onatel S.A.

Ownership Type

Publicly Traded Company
State/Government Owned

Ownership/Controlling Entity

MNC

01

3G UMTS Frequency Bands

Company Overview

Onatel is the largest mobile carrier operating in Burkina Faso. The company was the first to launch mobile services in the country, with a GSM network launched in December 1996. While still state-owned enterprise, Onatel is considered partially privatised and is listed on the Abidjan Regional Stock Exchange with symbol ONTBF. The largest shareholder is Maroc Telecom with a 61% controlling stake, itself owned by Etisalat. Onatel offers its mobile phone services under the brand Telmob.

The company operates a 2G GSM service over the 900 MHz frequency and 3G UMTS network over the B1 (2100 MHz) band since May 2013. DC-HSPA+ data services were announced 10 days after launch.

In December 2018 the Burkina Faso government introduced technology-neutral licences allowing Onatel to reuse existing spectrum licences to introduce 4G LTE. Onatel announced its first 4G LTE test days later. The company launched 4G LTE, marketed as ‘4G+ Advanced’ in March 2019. The network's 4G carrier is yet unknown but speculated to be B3 (1800 MHz) based on held spectrum licences and device compatibility.

3G UMTS Network Information

Details on UMTS network deployments are shown below. Data are often incomplete due to commercial nature. Consult dossier text for further details.

Launch Date 2013-05 Status Active
UMTS BandPacket DataStatus
Active
4G LTE Network Information

Details on LTE network deployments are shown below. Data are often incomplete due to commercial nature. Consult dossier text for further details.

Evolution Status Active [Launched 2019-03]
Max. MIMO Max. Modulation
Carrier Aggregation - Features -
LTE BandChannel WidthStatus
No Data Unconfirmed