Unitel kicks off construction of new headquarters
Unitel kicks off construction of new headquarters
A ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of a nine-storey building that will be the headquarters of Star Telecom (Unitel) took place in Vientiane on Friday as part of efforts to upgrade services.
On the back of the telecom operator's success in Laos over the past five years, the company is ploughing capital into the expansion of its head office.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the Executive Board of Star Telecom, Mr Oulaha Thongvantha, said the company's past achievements were testimony to the growth of telecoms in Laos.
“After great success in recent years, our company is continuously contributing to the development of the Lao economy and society. That's the reason we decided to build our new headquarters,” he said.
The company took almost two years preparing for and undertaking the project for the bidding process. Ten companies submitted proposals and the contract was won by the Chitchaleun Construction Company.
It is estimated it will take two years to build the US$11.9 million building. But the Chitchaleun Construction Company believes it will be finished ahead of schedule.
Minister of National Defence, Lieutenant General Sengnuan Xayalath, Deputy Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Mr Thansamay Kommasith, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos, Mr Nguyen Manh Hung, and other invited guests were present at the ceremony.
The company's headquarters are located on Nongbone Road in Phonxay village, Xaysettha district. Star Telecom is a joint venture between Lao-Asia Telecommunications and Vietnamese Viettel Global, a subsidiary company of Viettel Corporation. Lao-Asia Telecommunications, under the management of the Ministry of National Defence, holds a 51 percent share, while Viettel Global has a 49 percent stake.
In a recent report by Mr Oulaha to mark the company's five year anniversary, he said Star Telecom had paid 1.445 billion kip in taxes over the past five years, which was an outstanding contribution to economic development in Laos.
The company has registered capital for business operations of US$60 million, and has current assets worth almost US$300 million, Mr Oulaha reported at the celebration ceremony last October.
Star Telecom has 143 service centres around the country and more than 22,000 dealerships and provides a signal covering all districts in the country that reaches 92 percent of the population.
