Tony Poulos, TelecomTV (00:07):
Hi, I'm Tony Pulos at Mobile World Congress 2025 in Barcelona. I have me today Mário Oliveira, who is the Minister for Telecommunications Information Technologies and Social Communication in Angola. Minister, welcome. It's great to catch up with you again this year. Minister, this is your second consecutive year attending Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. What are your feelings about this year's event?

Mário Oliveira, Telecoms Minister, Angola (00:33):
First of all, I'd like to thank you again for this second year to be with me with the TV station for the MWC 2025. All years in these events, we look for new technology develop of ICT sector and this year looks the same. I look around, I visit some exhibitions and the world in progress. The telecom in the world is in progress and you can see, can feel that it is happen for developer of the world.

Tony Poulos, TelecomTV (01:15):
Access to networks has become a need for people worldwide. However, network coverage remains a significant challenge across Africa. What plans does Angola have to improve its telecommunications network coverage?

Mário Oliveira, Telecoms Minister, Angola (01:27):
Yes, this is a good question. We, in Angola, we have some important projects for cover all the country. We have our space program. We launched on 22 communication satellites that is using for telecom service for all the country, all the citizens and the services for the companies, for the, I mean for all the sectors in Angola. Also, we are working with the other companies like Huawei for the projects like Lumina, Ang, and also we have Angola online project that give free internet connection to the students. We have Angola Digital, this another project that give free internet on the roads for the students, for the youth. Also using Ang. We have a project called Connecta Angola that we are giving internet connection upcountry in a far away village everywhere that you can imagine. This is the project that we're developing Angola to give connectivity for our people

Tony Poulos, TelecomTV (02:52):
According to reports. In December, 2024, Ang Golan launched its first shared site supporting national roaming. What positive impact do you believe this will have on both Angola's telecommunication industry and the daily lives of its people?

Mário Oliveira, Telecoms Minister, Angola (03:06):
This is another project that we have developed now in Angola. The impact of this is to improve the mobile network in Angola and use this capacity all the operators in Angola supported by the government can split, can improve the network and also the service for olas.

Tony Poulos, TelecomTV (03:31):
In recent years, AI or artificial intelligence has become a global focus. Does Angola have any plans for initiatives in the field of ai?

Mário Oliveira, Telecoms Minister, Angola (03:41):
Of course, because we are in this process, I said always that we're in the train. We cannot lose this train of development and AI is one of the progress that are now in the ICT sector. We are preparing not only in the technical point of view, but also in tech the mentation because it is very, very important to prepare the mentation for ai. In same time that we are preparing our youth studying training in this new technology and with this the equipments, the installation infrastructures will come with the technician that must be ready for deal, for use. This new technology, it's just the future and the future of the world, future of our country. Everyone that wants to be part of develop of the world must be attention with development of the AI.

Tony Poulos, TelecomTV (04:47):
At last year's mobile World Congress, you mentioned the importance of the talent ecosystem. As I know the Min Techs originally planned to train 15,000 ICT professionals over a period of five years, how has the progress been up to 2024 and what are the next steps in terms of enhancing and goalless local telecommunications talent and industry?

Mário Oliveira, Telecoms Minister, Angola (05:10):
It is also another good question. This is in progress. Next month we will celebrate 5,000 training people. As you now is take time to reach, but we are moving, we're improving, we're in this process, everything is running well and this 5,000 that you have now is in the market working in the many sector of our economy. I mean Angola has future and the future is on process to be, Angola has a very important country in Africa, in our region, and also to give the opportunity for all our angolans people, all the Angolans company a good selves in terms of telecommunication, because it is one of the priority of the government.

Tony Poulos, TelecomTV (06:08):
I'm really looking forward to seeing new technologies coming from your efforts in the future.

Mário Oliveira, Telecoms Minister, Angola (06:13):
Yes, with the projects that I told to you a few minutes ago, it means that we are in a good way. Let me tell you one things that I didn't mention. It's about our satellite program. We launch communication satellite, but now we are preparing observation satellite to help us to, in the terms of the agriculture and the terms of resource, mineral resource. And according with ai, we are also using this technology to help the oil industry. We can observe the oil in field, controlling the border, controlling the urban areas. We are also in Angola in this process and as I mentioned, Angola has featured

Tony Poulos, TelecomTV (07:22):
Minister. It's been a great pleasure catching up with you again this year and I look forward to it again next year at MWC. Thank you.

Mário Oliveira, Telecoms Minister, Angola (07:29):
It's all a pleasure and let me tell you another things that we organize in Angola each year on June and very important ICT forum, we called AngoTIC. This is an international forum, ICT and I invite all of you to be part. It'll be on June 12, 13 and 14. This year we will celebrate 50 years of Angolan independence and this forum, it'll part of this celebration Angola complete this year, 50 years of independence.

Tony Poulos, TelecomTV (08:11):
Thank you.

Mário Oliveira, Telecoms Minister, Angola (08:12):
Thank you.