Luanda, July 28, 2026 (Lusa) — Angola's largest telecom operator, Unitel, is working to restore network coverage across the country after a cyberattack affected services in the early hours of this morning, on the eve of its stock market debut, the company announced on Tuesday.
In a statement, Unitel said its teams detected a cyberattack on its IT infrastructure at around 2:20 a.m. (the same time in Lisbon) on Tuesday, which affected voice services, mobile data, and internet access nationwide.
The operator said it had immediately activated its response and containment mechanisms and that its technical and cybersecurity teams «are continuing to work to mitigate the effects of the incident and ensure the full restoration of services,» which are currently being restored.
Private and business customers contacted by Lusa reported experiencing limited access to services that rely on the mobile network, ranging from making phone calls to using app-based taxis to accessing the internet at home.
In the business sector, temporary IT system unavailability challenges invoicing and communication with customers and suppliers.
«Difficulties with bookings, lack of communication with customers and suppliers, scheduling issues and delays, waiting times, issuing invoices and receipts, and processing claims with insurers — it's a real challenge,» said the manager of a clinic, emphasising that, although the company is not to blame for the outage, the service disruption is having an impact on the user experience and is leading to an increase in feedback.
Some companies are turning to other operators and mobilising additional resources «to ensure the continuity of essential services and the recovery of information once the network is restored», the same source added.
Other customers interviewed by Lusa expressed dissatisfaction with Unitel's service quality in recent times and the company's lack of response.
The outage comes one day before Unitel's debut on the Angolan Debt and Securities Exchange (BODIVA), scheduled for Wednesday, which marks the start of trading in the operator's shares following the privatisation of 15% of its share capital.
As part of this operation, the Angolan government sold, through the Institute for the Management of State Assets and Shareholdings (IGAPE), 7.5 million shares — 13% for the general public and 2% reserved for employees — in a public offering that took place between 6 and 24 July, generating proceeds of almost €300 million for the Angolan state.
According to the 2025 Annual Report and Accounts, Unitel has 20.8 million customers and a 76% market share. The company also operates in São Tomé and Príncipe and in Cabo Verde.
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