Two Ghanaian telecom companies, Kasapa and Zain, have rebranded their operations following changes in ownership of the respective companies.

Kasapa Telecom Ghana, owned by Hutchison, was acquired by Dubai-based Expresso Telecom, thus necessitating the brand change from Kasapa to Expresso. Similarly, Zain Ghana rebranded to Airtel, following the acquisition of Kuwaiti-based Zain by Indian-based Bharti Airtel.

The Chief Executive Officer of Expresso, Mr. Isham Ayub, said the company had undertaken a network upgrade across Ghana to enhance coverage and to attract more subscribers as it has become part of the exponential growth of telecommunications in Africa, having acquired Intercellular in Nigeria and Kasapa in Ghana, as well as new licenses in Mauritania and Senegal.

Mr. Ayub noted that Expresso was the smallest player in the Ghanaian telecommunications market, adding that they had the flexibility to effect a change to lead the telecom market towards offering a more customer-oriented service.

"Our strategy is not to force customers to switch from
their existing network, but through dual-sim phones, we will give customers a wider choice of services where they can enjoy the best of both GSM and CDMA technology platforms,"
he said.

Management of Airtel, on the other hand, has pledged to leverage on their experience in India, where Bharti originates, to extend its mobile networks across the country and bridge the
digital divide and at the same time allow customers to experience a new brand and enjoy superior quality of service, reliability, innovation and affordability wherever they live, work or travel.

Airtel, the master brand of the
Bharti group, operates in 19 countries in Asia and Africa covering over 200 million customers.