Roshan (Persian: روشن) is a telecommunications development company located in Afghanistan. It provides services to 6 million subscribers and a network that covers at least one city in every province of Afghanistan.[1]
History
Roshan, meaning "light" and "hope" in Pashto and Dari, was founded by Kari Khoja in 2002 with the primary goal "to spearhead economic development and to facilitate greater social cohesion in Afghanistan through the introduction of accessible telecommunications technology."[2]
Roshan also made significant plans to centralize their telecommunications services in multiple major cities around Afghanistan. As an Afghan company, they faced significant challenges during the Taliban insurgency.
In October 2017, a cooperation with the Wikimedia Foundation, initiated on September 29, 2017, was announced, aiming to provide Roshan customers with free access to Wikipedia and its sister projects without incurring data charged.[3][4][5][6] The cooperation was part of the Wikipedia Zero project, which the Wikimedia Foundation discontinued in February 2018.[7][8][9] As a result, the existing agreement with Roshan expired on December 15, 2018, and was not renewed.
As of June 2024, Roshan's telecommunications services are available in at least one city in every province in Afghanistan and play a significant role in the country's telecommunications industry. This is evidenced by their status as the single largest taxpayer in Afghanistan.[10]
Shareholders
Roshan was originally founded under the ownership of the following companies:[11][12][13]
The investments were held through the Telecom Development Company of Afghanistan B.V., based in Amsterdam, which holds 100% of the shares of the Telecom Development Company of Afghanistan Ltd.
In July 2004, Alcatel sold its 5% stake, distributing 3.25% to MCT and 1.75% to MTI.[16]
