The founder of one of Africa`s biggest cellphone networks has chosen to retire in South Africa. But as business opportunities continue to haul him out of retirement, he examines the country`s broadband future SIXTY-SOMETHING Miko Rwayitare has tried to retire several times now, but his plate, so to speak, never seems to empty. He puts his next retirement date at mid-2007. Jean-Marie Nyaruhirira, CEO of his company Mikcor Investment Holdings, just laughs when he hears this. "I thought you were retiring at the end of this year?" he quips.

Rwayitare, or Mr Miko, as he is also known, was the founder of Telecel International, at one point operating Africa`s biggest cellphone network. In 2000, he sold 80% of his 15-country network to Orascom Telecom of Egypt for $413 million. Rwayitare remained on as chairman for three years, and is still retained by the company in a consulting capacity.

Born in what is today the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he earned an engineering degree and got his first job at state-owned mainly-copper-mining company Gecamines.

But the world of IT beckoned, and he went on to develop the Hewlett-Packard and Xerox presence in central Africa once he was granted their distribution rights, along with those of several other brands.

In the mid `80s, in pursuit of a wireless connection for his PCs and mainframes, he ended up launching the country`s first mobile network, after persuading government to grant him a year-long pilot licence for 500 subscribers.

"Our first handheld phones, which were Motorolas, had about 30 minutes of talk time, had no memory ey could only recall the last number called - and weighed as much as a bottle of wine, yet they were a huge success," he recalls. All 500 phones were taken up within three months.

After the year was up, a six-month battle with the government telco ensued, and a $1.5 million concession fee later, he was awarded the country`s first mobile telecoms licence. About 3 000 post-paid subscribers took up the service in the first year alone, and the rest, as the saying goes, is history.

CALLING SA HOME

But why is this relevant to a South African reader? Well, because in the mid `90s, he chose to move his operation to South Africa, citing such factors as better weather and business, telecoms and travel infrastructure than available in his home country.

By 2003, he`d gone into retirement, for what was to be the first of many times. And, as some high-net-worth individuals with a passion for fine wines are wont to do when they retire, he bought his own wine farm. In fact, the Mont Rochelle wine estate in Franshhoek, sold to him for R17 million, was one of South Africa`s first vineyards to have a black owner.

He also bought a 55% share in Venice Village, a high-tech property development in Hartebeespoort Dam, in the North West Province.

Of interest to iWeek is that two years ago, he was also approached by the founders of Goal Technology Solutions (GTS) for funding. GTS CEO Adrian Maguire and COO Patrice Lasserre had worked in the Power Line Communications division of Grintek Telecom, and when this division was deemed no longer core, decided to spin off their own company.

Today, Rwayitare owns a 66% share in the broadband-over-powerline provider, which is the only integrator and value-added reseller for Mitsubishi Electric`s PLC technology for the SADC region.

GTS went live with its first application in November 2005 with 130 houses in Pretoria. Worth noting is that the Tshwane Municipality wanted four to six megabits per home but it was able to deliver a 30-megabit connection per house. GTS currently has two other roll-outs under way, one in Durban and the other in Uganda.

THE FUTURE IS BROADBAND

"Voice has no more future: video is the future, and for that you need a 20 Mb broadband line. Even Telkom is looking at video to compensate for the loss of revenue from voice," says Rwayitare.

The advantage of GTS is that it can offer South Africa the biggest broadband pipe available at the moment, while each house with power is a potential client, he adds.

GTS`s R500 million first-phase roll-out will include the metropolitan areas of Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth and East London.

Users can expect to get Internet access, IP phone (VOIP) and camera services, online gaming and, once GTS gets its IP TV licence from ICASA in early 2007, IP TV.

"Triple play services are our ultimate goal," says Rwayitare, who notes that he is looking for both financing and roll-out partners for his subsidiary in its venture, in addition to more human resources. "We are already in discussions with financial institutions both here and abroad," he reveals.

"My dream is that, by 2010, South Africa will get real broadband - that is at least ten megabits. We have no legacy system to overcome in this country, so we can use the best technology on the market to make this dream come true," says Rwayitare, who incidentally, after living in this country for 11 years, last month received his South African citizenship.