There are rumours that Cote d’Ivoire could get a new mobile operator, possibly in the form of the country’s first MVNO, under the name CI-DATA. A report from local website Linfodrome says that a launch had been planned for earlier this month, with the necessary approvals already obtained, but a delay has been caused due to an issue with its proposed tariffs.

For mobile data services, the Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications in Cote d’Ivoire (Autorite de Regulation des Telecommunications de Cote d’Ivoire, ARTCI) has imposed a minimum price per MB of XOF0.80 (USD0.001), but CI-DATA is looking to provide data connectivity at prices which are well below this rate. According to the report, the telco is working with authorities to resolve the issue to enable it to launch services, initially in the former capital and largest city Abidjan before expanding to other areas.

Source: Commsupdate