KHULUMA Cellular 084, which is bidding for the third cellular licence, told the South Africa Telecommunications Authority on Tuesday that it has already obtained commitments for the some R3-billion needed to set up its network. “Our strong financial backing has enabled us to create a true partnership, with no need for any of the empowerment groups in the consortium to raise any funding,” the company’s chairman Thozamile Botha said. Khuluma has promised to directly invest more than R6-billion in the first ten years of operation and to allocate R40-million a year to rural points of service so that telecommunications becomes accessible to previously disadvantaged people. It also aims to become cash positive by year three when its revenues will have reached R1,5-billion and to have a customer base of 2,8-million after ten years, with a market share of 20%.