About

Unitel T+ is one of Cabo Verde’s two licensed mobile network operators, competing in one of West Africa’s smallest yet most digitally connected island-nation markets. Headquartered in Praia, the capital city on Santiago island, the operator provides 2G, 3G, and 4G services across the archipelago’s inhabited islands and positions itself as a challenger brand to the dominant incumbent, CV Móvel (a subsidiary of Cabo Verde Telecom). Controlled by Unitel International — the Angolan-rooted international telecoms holding group with footprints across Lusophone Africa — Unitel T+ brings regional scale and capital backing to a market where geography and inter-island logistics make network rollout structurally demanding.

The operator entered Cabo Verde following the government’s decision to liberalise the mobile sector and issue a second national mobile licence, ending the long-standing monopoly of Cabo Verde Telecom. The licence award marked a significant structural shift in the country’s telecoms policy, opening the market to price competition and accelerating mobile data adoption. Unitel International, which also operates the dominant mobile network in Angola under the Unitel brand, was identified as the winning bidder and subsequently established the Unitel T+ commercial brand in-country.

Ownership has remained stable under Unitel International’s controlling interest, though the group has periodically reviewed its portfolio of international assets. No publicly confirmed change of control has been recorded in the most recent reporting period. The Praia headquarters serves as the operational and commercial hub, with technical infrastructure distributed across the main islands including São Vicente, Santo Antão, Fogo, and Sal.

Country market context

Cabo Verde is a small-island developing state with a population of approximately 560,000 spread across nine inhabited islands, and a diaspora that significantly influences remittance flows and demand for international calling products. Mobile penetration is high relative to sub-Saharan African peers, with the regulator — ANAC (Agência Nacional das Comunicações) — reporting SIM penetration well above 100 percent on a connections basis, reflecting multi-SIM usage. The market is a duopoly in mobile: CV Móvel, backed by the incumbent fixed-line operator Cabo Verde Telecom (itself partially state-owned), holds the larger subscriber share, while Unitel T+ operates as the principal challenger. ANAC oversees licensing, spectrum allocation, quality-of-service obligations, and tariff monitoring. Despite the small absolute market size, Cabo Verde’s relatively high GDP per capita by regional standards, strong tourism sector, and remittance economy support above-average ARPU potential. → Read the Cabo Verde expert briefing

Network and technology

Unitel T+ operates a multi-generation radio access network spanning 2G (GSM), 3G (UMTS/HSPA), and 4G (LTE) technologies. Coverage is concentrated on the most populous islands — Santiago, São Vicente, and Sal — with service extended to secondary islands including Fogo, Brava, Santo Antão, São Nicolau, Boa Vista, and Maio, though population density on several of these islands limits the commercial case for dense infrastructure deployment. The operator’s inter-island backhaul relies on a combination of submarine fibre cable connectivity and microwave links, with Cabo Verde’s position on the South Atlantic submarine cable corridor providing access to international capacity. Industry observers note that 4G LTE rollout has been a priority investment area in recent years, improving mobile broadband speeds particularly in tourism-heavy zones such as Sal and Boa Vista. No commercial 5G launch had been confirmed as of early 2026, consistent with ANAC’s spectrum roadmap, which had not yet concluded a formal 5G licensing process.

Products and services

The operator’s core retail portfolio covers prepaid and postpaid voice, SMS, and mobile data bundles targeted at both resident consumers and the significant tourist roaming segment. Data packages are offered across daily, weekly, and monthly cycles, with promotional bundles frequently tied to social media and messaging applications — a common commercial strategy in the Lusophone African market. In the enterprise segment, Unitel T+ offers dedicated data connectivity, SIM fleet management, and M2M solutions aimed at the hospitality, logistics, and public-sector verticals. Mobile financial services represent a strategic growth area: the operator has promoted mobile money and mobile wallet functionality under its brand, though the product’s scale and market penetration relative to the incumbent’s offering remains subject to ongoing competitive dynamics. Fixed broadband services, where offered, are secondary to the mobile-first proposition given the infrastructure economics of the island geography.

Subscribers and market position

Unitel T+ holds the position of the country’s second-largest mobile operator by subscriber count, operating in a two-player market where the incumbent CV Móvel retains a structural advantage built on brand heritage, bundled fixed-mobile offers, and a longer network history. According to the most recent data published by ANAC, the challenger’s subscriber base represents a meaningful minority share of total mobile connections, with industry estimates suggesting the gap between the two operators has narrowed incrementally as Unitel T+ has expanded 4G coverage and sharpened its prepaid pricing. The tourist and diaspora segments provide supplementary demand that partially offsets the constraints of the small resident population base.

Financial situation

Unitel T+ does not publish standalone audited financial statements in the public domain, and its results are consolidated within Unitel International’s group reporting, which is not listed on a public exchange. Industry estimates suggest the operator has moved through an investment-heavy phase associated with 4G rollout and market establishment, with revenue trajectory broadly positive as data monetisation has improved. Profitability at the subsidiary level is not independently verified, though the parent group’s continued operational commitment to the market — without any publicly signalled exit or asset sale — implies the business remains strategically valued within the portfolio. No state ownership stake in Unitel T+ has been publicly disclosed; the operator is a privately held commercial entity.

Recent developments

In the 24 months to early 2026, Unitel T+ has focused primarily on consolidating its 4G LTE footprint and improving network quality metrics in line with ANAC’s quality-of-service benchmarks. No 5G commercial launch has been announced, consistent with the regulator’s spectrum planning timeline. The operator has refreshed its prepaid bundle architecture, introducing tiered data packages designed to capture demand from the growing mobile internet user base, particularly among younger demographics and the tourism workforce. On the regulatory front, ANAC has continued to monitor inter-operator interconnection terms and roaming arrangements, areas that directly affect Unitel T+’s competitive positioning against the incumbent. No major ownership transaction, merger, or acquisition involving Unitel T+ was publicly confirmed in this period. The parent group, Unitel International, has maintained its Lusophone Africa strategy without publicly signalling any portfolio restructuring that would affect the Cabo Verde operation.

Related research

• Cabo Verde expert briefing
• Cabo Verde statistics
• Telecom research and analysis
• Country comparison tool