A shy government objection... "Al-Houthi" companies are racing to launch 4G in Aden
English - Thursday 09 June 2022 الساعة 09:29 am
Aden, NewsYemen, special:
The announcement of the experimental launch of the 4G service by the "YOU" company in the capital, Aden, sparked controversy over the government's position on the company's continuation of providing its services in the liberated areas.
The government had previously announced, through the Ministry of Communications, its rejection of the mysterious deal according to which the international company (MTN) sold its branch in Yemen to the so-called “Yemeni Oman United Telecom Company”, in late November 2021.
The company, which later called itself the trade name "YOU", revolved around suspicions that it was just a front for the Houthi group's acquisition of MTN, after it faced great pressures and obstacles from the group to push it out of Yemen.
Despite the objection of the Ministry of Communications in Aden to the deal and its failure to recognize the new company, the company announced in early May, through its official pages on social media, the start of developing and expanding its network in Aden.
During the past few days, the company started to launch a limited 4G service in Aden, to be officially launched later in the coming days.
While the Ministry of Communications remained silent, "Newsmen" tried to seek clarification from the minister's media official about the ministry's position on the matter, but he contented himself with re-sending the statement made by a government source to the media recently.
The government source expressed his astonishment at the party that granted the Yemeni-Omani Telecommunications Company “you” a license to practice its commercial activity in the liberated areas, warning “everyone, especially in the liberated areas, to deal with what is marketed by the company.”
While private sources confirmed to NewsYemen that the government company, "Yemen Mobile", which is completely under the control of the Houthi militia, is also preparing to launch the service in Aden.
The sources said that a technical team affiliated with the company is currently in Aden to carry out network expansion works in a number of areas of the city, with the installation of towers for the 4G network.
It is noteworthy that the telecommunications companies under the control of the Houthis in Sanaa are racing to launch the fourth generation service in Aden. It coincides with the delay in the promises made by the Minister of Communications, Najeeb Al-Auj, in early May, to launch an expansion of the government's "Aden Net" service in Aden and in 5 liberated governorates. In addition to launching a new 4G telecom company.
During the past few days, hundreds of Yemeni activists launched a wide electronic campaign on social media to pressure the Presidential Council to quickly liberate the telecommunications sector from the grip of the Houthi militia, which reaps material and security benefits from this sector.
