The Kenyan State and France Telecom SA have closed the acquisition by a consortium led by France Telecom of a 51% stake in the incumbent operator Telkom Kenya for a consideration of $390 million, or about EUR270 million euros.
France Telecom has teamed up with Alcazar Capital Limited, whose funds decided to raise their stake in the consortium from 15%, as announced on November 16, to 21.5%, under the terms of the agreement between the parties.
Agility, one of the world’s leading logistics services providers with a strong presence in emerging markets, is a key investor in Alcazar’s funds.
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According to sources, Some of the biggest achievers selected for Communication Awards 2007:
Allen Timpany, CEO, Vanco
VNO pioneer. Now every value-added reseller wants to be the “next Vanco”.
Arun Sarin, Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone Group
His deals with Google and eBay “started the Mobile Internet”. That’ll be the one regularly used by 6% of mobile owners, then.
Ben Verwaayen, CEO, BT
Split local access and services in UK as an example for all the other EU countries. Then took over the broadband revolution. But has he reached the crest of the New Wave?
Bill Gates, Founder and Chairman, Microsoft Corp
He may be adrift in online adland, but his company’s Communications Server has brought the LAN to life.
Carl Henrik Svanberg, CEO, Ericsson
Has kept the strategy clear and built a leadership position in wireless into a total communications offer whilst others have dug themselves deeper into their problems.
Cesar Alierta, President, Telefonica
Last of the great global Telco heroes? No blockbuster deals last year though.
Chua Sock Koong, CEO, SingTel
SingTel veteran Chua is in the regional hotseat; tasked with making sense of the company’s expansionist strategy across Southeast Asia to Australia.
Dayanidhi Maran, Telecom Minister, India
Revolutionised the Indian telecom scenario with liberalised policies, promoting Foreign Direct Investments and providing clear strategies for mobile and broadband expansion.
Dr. Saad Al Barrak, Deputy chairman and managing director, MTC
MTC Group’s champion has transformed the Kuwaiti operator into a regional investment player. Can he take his 3×3x3 strategy global?
Ed Whitacre, Chairman and CEO, AT&T
Retiring after driving telecom consolidation, with the integration of SBC, Cingular and AT&T. Now going after Telecom Italia and the iPhone.
Helmut Leopold, Head of Platform and Technology Management, Telekom Austria AG
Put Engerwitzdorf on Europe’s IPTV map. Leads development of IPTV and IP-driven multimedia services at Telekom Austria, as well as president of the Broadband Services Forum (BSF). .
Ildar Zhuravlev, Partner, Ernst & Young
He is one of the most influential persons in the Russian telecom sector. He provides consulting services to 18 of top 20 major Russian telcos. At least he isn’t being called a revolutionary.
Ivar Plahte, CEO, OnRelay
”Defining the next era of [mobile] PBX.” Cisco, Nortel, IBM, Verizon, and others are following his lead, some say.
John Chambers, CEO, Cisco Systems
He’s putting Cisco on Second Life. That’s how determined he is to win this award again.
John Legere, CEO, Global Crossing
Two years ago a $24 billion accounting ‘fresh start’ helped bring GX back to life. Now it is a model for how to use IT to speed up your telecoms services delivery.
John Pluthero, Executive Chairman , Cable & Wireless
He’s “blown the whistle on the telecoms industry” for its lack of customer care, apparently.And he knows how to reinvigorate a demoralised company.
Josep A. Aliagas, CEO, Arena Mobile
This content aggregator is currently working in 60 countries and with 110 mobile operators as well as worldwide Media Groups including Shanghai Media Group in the mobile TV area in China. China is potentially the biggest revenue generator in the industry and Arena Mobile is the leading company in China.
Larry Page, Co-founder, Google
Telcos are running a bit less scared now Google is concentrating on TV and radio advertisers.
N Srinath, CEO, VSNL
”The CEO of the last year”, according to one nomination. He has “single-handedly” changed VSNL from an incumbent niche operator to a multinational telecom player, according to another. He must have a little help, though.
Niklas Zennstrom, Co-founder, Joost TV
Since he sold Skype to eBay, the IP telephony service has reached 150 million users, reducing the price paid from $68 million to $23 million - per subscriber.
Patricia Russo, CEO, Alcatel-Lucent
Running a combination “too big, too exotic and too powerful to be ignored.”
Phuthuma Nhleko, President & CEO, MTN Group
Phuthuma has revolutionalised telecoms in Africa and the Middle East by providing telecoms to 21 countries in MEA.
Sol Trujillo, CEO, Telstra
”Creating a Telstra that is more adaptable to market needs.” Really? The “only real ass-kicker and visionary in the industry”. That’s more like it!
Steve Jobs, CEO, Apple
He seems to understand consumers better than most. The iPhone has raised expections high this time.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman - Bharti Group, Bharti Airtel
A “Telecoms Tsar”- in India? No, he’s “a revolutionary”. He can’t be both.
Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner, EU
She has upset mobile operators, NextGen network builders and even outsourcing associations, so she must be doing something right.
Russian mobile operator Mobile TeleSystems has seen its total subscriber base in Russia and the CIS reach 80.21 million users at end-November. During the month the company added 1.09 million customers representing a growth of 1.4 percent. In Russia, MTS added 860,000 new subscribers to reach a total of 56.01 million, while MTS’ Ukraine operations ended the month with 19.93 million customers, up 30,000 for the month. MTS Uzbekistan added 180,000 to reach 2.59 million, and the Turkmenistan business added 20,000 new customers to hit 330,000 in total. MTS Armenia ended November with 1.34 million subscribers, down 10,000 subscribers and MTS Belarus added 30,000 to reach 3.73 million.
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UK mobile operators 3 and T-Mobile have agreed to combine their 3G access networks in order to extend coverage and reduce costs. The deal is expected to give the two operators almost complete coverage of the Great Britain population by the end of 2008 as well as improved urban in-building coverage in 2009. The agreement centres on sharing mobile masts and infrastructure connecting to each operator’s core network. The core networks and T-Mobile’s 2G network will remain separate, and each operator will continue to handle their own customer services and spectrum. The shared network is scheduled to be completed in just over two years and will be managed by a 50-50 joint venture company called Mobile Broadband Network Limited. The agreement will lead to the decommissioning of over 5,000 duplicate sites from both parties’ combined existing cell site portfolio. Together with the lower future capital expenditure requirement, the combined savings are estimated at GBP 2 billion over 10 years. The joint venture contract runs until the end of 2031.
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[Update] Brazil raised BRL 2.44 billion in the first day of its auction of 3G spectrum. The mobile telephony operators Vivo, Oi , Claro and TIM won the first lots in the auction, covering the states of Bahia, Sergipe, Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo. Vivo presented an offer 90 percent higher than the minimum set by market regulator Anatel for the first lot, paying BRL 310.3 million (EUR 118.4 million), while Oi bid BRL 467.9 million, TIM offered BRL 528 million and Claro paid BRL 612 million. Vivo also acquired a licence for the federal district and areas of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Parana, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Goias Tocantins, Rondonia and Acre for a total BRL 528.2 million.
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Sprint Nextel’s board of directors has named mobile industry veteran Daniel R Hesse as president and chief executive officer of the company, effective immediately. Hesse also joins Sprint Nextel’s board of directors. He previously was chairman, president and CEO of Embarq, Sprint’s spun-off fixed-line business. Hesse had been chairman and CEO since Embarq’s inception in 2006. Prior to the formation of Embarq, he served as CEO of Sprint’s local telecommunications division for one year. Hesse previously spent 23 years at AT&T including serving as the president and CEO of AT&T Wireless Services between 1997 and 2000. Meanwhile, Embarq has appointed Tom A Gerke, senior telecommunications executive and Embarq’s current general counsel, as interim chief executive officer, effective 18 December. Bill Owens, Embarq’s lead director, has been named non-executive chairman of the board.
In connection with Hesse’s joining Sprint Nextel, Embarq and Sprint Nextel have reached an agreement which Embarq believes to be financially and strategically beneficial and in the best interests of Embarq’s shareholders. Gerke has spent 13 years of his 22 year professional career in the telecommunications industry and, in January 2007, assumed responsibility for Embarq’s wholesale markets business unit. Before joining Embarq, he held leadership roles at Sprint Nextel, including executive vice president and general counsel during April 2003 to August 2005. Gerke joined Sprint Nextel in 1994.
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SFR has confirmed being in discussion with mobile subsidiary SFR and Louis Dreyfus group to buy the latter’s 29.5 percent of Neuf Cegetel. Dreyfus will sell the stake for about EUR 5 billion, at around EUR 40 per share for a stock it bought at EUR 22 in October 2006. Les Echos writes that Vivendi seeks competition authority approval to continue to operate its Canal Plus TV and Neuf’s ADSL TV services. Canal Plus, which is 65 percent owned by Vivendi, has 10.4 million subscribers, versus Neuf’s 600,000 ADSL TV users. Vivendi said that it would not sell off Canal Plus and would rather stay at 40.6 percent of Neuf.
SFR’s acquisition of Neuf Cegetel, which would be followed by a public purchase offer, would merge 56 percent Vivendi owned mobile phone operator SFR and Neuf Cegetel, thus creating a giant to challenge France Telecom/Orange. An earlier attempt by Neuf to merge and share the major investment challenge of fibre network deployment with its ISP rival Free got nowhere, so it chose the SFR option. SFR is Neuf’s biggest customers, generating 10 percent of turnover in 2006. Neuf carries SFR’s voice and ADSL traffic. The two companies invest jointly in WiMAX and fibre. SFR and Neuf are also competitors. Neuf has launched an MVNO on SFR, which had 200,000 subscribers in the second quarter. SFR also bought the fixed and internet operations of Tele2 France and now sells its own SFR Box home gateway.
Analysts see Neuf’s merger with SFR as necessary. The merger would give SFR a chance to better compete against Orange, already well entrenched in fixed and mobile. Mobile network operator Bouygues Telecom also intends to enter ADSL.The merger would also allow SFR-Neuf to make the massive investment necessary to deploy a French fibre network to rival Orange’s.
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Palm reported a net loss of USD 9.6 million for its fiscal second quarter to 30 November, hurt by some USD 10 million in restructuring charges. The result compares to a profit of USD 12.8 million in the year-earlier period. The smartphone maker’s sales fell to USD 350 million from USD 393 million a year ago. Smartphone sell-through for the quarter was 686,000 units, up 11 percent year over year. The company said it’s working to lower operating costs and focus on products expected to contribute the most to long-term success. For the third quarter, it forecast revenues of USD 310-320 million and a net loss of USD 30-33 million, including USD 16-18 million in restructuring charges.
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Nokia Siemens Networks has completed the unification and expansion of the T-Mobile Austria and Tele.ring networks following the acquisition of the latter by T- Mobile Austria. The result is a fully upgraded single physical network serving now about 3 million users - 2 million T-Mobile subscribers and 1 million Tele.ring customers. The project consisted in the replacement and upgrade of a total of 1,300 base stations of the 2G network, an upgrade of the existing T-Mobile Austria core network equipment to increase the network’s capacity as well as a migration of Tele.ring’s prepaid customers to a charging platform at T-Mobile Austria, already installed by Nokia Siemens Networks.
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France telecom and Kenyan state deal closed (Kenya)
