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Wireless Federation » archive for 'Algerie Telecom'

Govt. cancels Algerie’s privatisation (Algeria)

  • February 17th, 2009
  • 6:00 am

The Algerian Govt has called off the privatisation of national fixed line operator Algerie Telecom. The sale which has been controversial for several years had attracted the interest of overseas investors like Qatar Telecom and France Telecom. ‘Algerie Telecom will not be privatised and its capital will not be opened to private investors,’ said the telco’s Chairman Foamed Benhamadi. He asserted that opening up the company to outside investment is no longer necessary and a plan is now under way to pump EUR100 million into the development of fibre-optic networks over the next five years.

Telecom Egypt and Orascom Telecom to liquidate Algerian venture Lacom

  • November 17th, 2008
  • 6:23 am

Telecom Egypt and Orascom Telecom agree to liquidate their Algerian joint venture, 50% owned by both. Both the operators have been complaining about the state owned Algerie Telecom is getting greater preference in comparison to their venture Lacom, so now they both plan to exit the Algerie mobile market.

   

Algerie Telecom’s privatisation delayed for 2-3 years (Algeria)

  • October 15th, 2008
  • 6:12 am

The state owned telecom group, Algerie Telecom, according to the CEO will be ready for privitisation as soon as the implementation of development plan is done in 2-3 years and the services are improved and more competetive.
“I think the Algerian government will not open Algerie Telecom’s capital before allowing it to be competitive at the regional and international level.”
“It’s up to the government to make a decision, but, according to our development strategy, the group may be competitive regionally and internationally in two or three years,” he said.
The companies that are reportedly interested in Algerie Telecom’s stake include Etisalat and Zain Kuwait.

   

Algeria announces tender for 3G licences

  • May 29th, 2008
  • 2:07 pm

Algeria’s Regulation Authority of Post and Telecommunications (ARPT) yesterday launched the process to issue 3G mobile licences in the country. Local and international parties wishing to participate must register their interest by 30 June. No details were released on the number or type of licences to be issued. The country currently has three mobile network operators; Egyptian Orascom Telecom’s Djezzy, Qatari-owned Wataniya Telecom’s Nedjma and Mobilis, part of state-owned operator Algerie Telecom.

   
 

Minister gives Lacom a boost (Algeria)

  • February 11th, 2008
  • 1:34 pm

Algeria’s Minister of Posts and Telecommunications has promised to clear any barriers which are preventing the country’s second national fixed line licensee, Lacom, from competing effectively with incumbent operator Algerie Telecom. Boudjemaa Haichour has been discussing Lacom’s position with his counterpart from Egypt, Tarek Kamel. Lacom is a joint venture between two Egyptian firms, Telecom Egypt and Orascom, but has struggled to make a mark in the Algerian fixed line market, claiming that regulations are helping to maintain the dominance of Algerie Telecom. A report from El Khabar says that Haichour is promising to remove any barriers to competition and resolve problems which are preventing Lacom from doing business. Telecom Egypt and Orascom have both said that they will exit the Algerian market if the regulatory situation does not improve.

   

Algerie Telecom to roll out FTTH this year

  • February 4th, 2008
  • 1:26 pm

Algerie Telecom said it plans to roll out Fibre to the Home (FTTH) during the course of this year, with an eventual view to launching triple-play services including IPTV. News agency reports said the triple-play service will initially be launched in the four cities of Alger, Constantine, Orange and Setif, before nationwide roll-out in the course of the next 12 months. Algerie Telecom also targets an increase in its ADSL customers to 3 million by the end of next year, six times the present number. The telecom operator will become the first operator in Africa to incorporate FTTH as a key section of its business strategy. “The service will consist of a modem that can connect to the fibre network that will give very high capacities allowing either triple or quadruple play,” said Malik Hachelef, who is overseeing the firm’s FTTH roll-out. Sagem is to supply the equipment for an FTTH network, and Algerie Telecom has authorized WiMAX to fill coverage gaps where ADSL is not available.

   

Orascom, Telecom Egypt in talks to sell Lacom (Egypt)

  • November 8th, 2007
  • 2:44 pm

Orascom Telecom and Telecom Egypt are in talks to sell their fixed-line joint venture in Algeria, Lacom. Orascom chairman Nagiub Sawiris confirmed that negotiations are underway but declined to name the potential buyer, Reuters reports. He said Lacom had suffered from preferential treatment from the Algerian authorities for the incumbent operator Algerie Telecom, a problem which could limit the chance of selling Lacom.

   

Lacom looks for an exit as PT mulls entry (Algeria)

  • August 21st, 2007
  • 6:51 am

Reports from Algeria suggest that the country’s second national wireline licensee, Lacom, is planning to exit the market after sustaining heavy losses. Local press suggest that the firm’s management is looking for a way of folding up the company without incurring further losses as it is now facing bankruptcy. The Lacom consortium consisting of Egyptian telcos Orascom Telecom and Telecom Egypt won Algeria’s second national fixed line licence in March 2005 when it was the only bidder for the 15-year USD65 million concession.

Separately, Portugal Telecom has been linked as a prospective bidder in the part-privatisation of the country’s dominant telco, Algerie Telecom. The government is planning to offload between 35% and 51% of the PTO next year. Algerie Telecom has 2.8 million wireline customers and 7.4 million wireless subscribers.

   

 

 

 

 

Nedjma reaches three million milestone

  • February 6th, 2007
  • 12:36 pm

Telegeography writes…The smallest of Algeria’s three cellular operators, Kuwaiti-owned Nedjma, has revealed that it has signed its three millionth customer after registering 100% subscriber growth during 2006. ‘Just two years after its commercial launch, Nedjma today is one of our fastest growing markets. As of December 2006, Nedjma more than doubled its subscribers in Algeria, generated positive cash flows and its average revenue per user has taken a positive turn,’ said Ahmed Haleem, CEO of Nedjma’s parent company, Wataniya International. Nedjma competes with market leader Djezzy, which is backed by Orascom of Egypt, and Mobilis, which is a subsidiary of state fixed line operator Algérie Télécom.