Angola’s largest telecommunications company, Unitel, was hit by a cyberattack that disrupted mobile, internet and voice services across the country just hours before its shares were due to begin trading in one of the country’s most closely watched stock market listings.
The state-controlled operator said it detected the attack at about 2:20 a.m. local time on Tuesday, triggering widespread disruptions across its technology infrastructure and affecting services for millions of customers nationwide.
Unitel, which serves more than 21 million subscribers in a country of about 39 million people, said engineers were working to restore services but did not disclose the nature of the cyberattack or indicate when normal operations would resume.
The incident comes at a crucial moment for both the company and Angola’s capital markets.
On Wednesday, Unitel is expected to begin trading on the Angola Debt and Securities Exchange (BODIVA) following a $329 million (300.3 billion kwanza) initial public offering that drew demand exceeding the shares available by more than 20%, underscoring strong investor appetite despite a challenging global investment climate.
