Roshan (telco)

Roshan (Persian: روشن‎‎) is a leading Afghan telecommunications provider, serving nearly 6.0 million active subscribers.

Contents

• Shareholders
• Competition
• Roshan Community
• M Paisa
• References

In January 2003, Roshan was awarded the second GSM license in Afghanistan. This was at a time when there was only one other mobile phone operator (Afghan Wireless) in Afghanistan. Due to decades of civil wars. there was almost only limited telecommunications infrastructure in place in the country. Prior to the fall of the Taliban, phone lines were not accessible to the population, and Afghans had to travel abroad to make international calls.

Roshan, which means "light" or "hope" in Persian, is one of Afghanistan’s leading telecommunications providers. Today, Roshan’s GSM network reaches 240 cities and towns across all of Afghanistan's 34 provinces. The network covers over 60% of the population, including the most remote rural areas.

Roshan is one of the largest investors, private companies and taxpayers in Afghanistan. It has invested nearly $600 million in the telecommunications infrastructure in Afghanistan. Roshan is also continuing to expand its network in areas where there is no or limited cellular coverage.

Roshan employs over 1,100 people, of whom 20% are women. Indirectly, the company has added over 30,000 jobs to the Afghan economy through its top-up stations, retail stores and public call offices.

Roshan introduced 3G in April 2013. It was the third company in the market to have been granted a 3G license after Etisalat (UAE-based telecom), and MTN (South Africa-based telecom), waiting to ensure it could deliver the highest quality service. It has 3G service in Kabul, Jalalabad, Kandahar, Mazar, Herat, and Kunduz.