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Wireless Federation » archive for 'Mali'

Zain plans network expansion in Africa and Middle East

  • November 7th, 2008
  • 8:24 am

Accoring to Zain CEO Saad Al Barrak, the company is looking to expand its network in Africa and Middle East by making nearly five acquisitions by 2010, worth US$4 billion.
“We are focusing now on our priority in the Middle East and Africa, where we want to become the absolute number one,” he said.
Zain, which operates in 22 countries plans to expand its roots further to six African nations Cote D’Ivoire, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe and Yemen and Syria in the Middle East.
Al Barrak, looking at the global financial crunches, says that Zain will either buy majority stakes or acquire licences.
Al Barrak additionally said that Zain also plans to spend $2.5 billion in 2009 on network upgradation and investments.

   

Zain in talks to buy Rwanda’s mobile licence and stake in Sotelma (Kuwait)

  • September 2nd, 2008
  • 8:40 am

Zain, Kuwait, is in negotiation to buy a mobile network licence in Rwanda and may bid for a stake in a telecoms firm of Mali.
Zain also plans to make an offer for the stake in Mali’s Sotelma, which would be privatised before year end.
The bidding process will be starting on October 31.

   

18 companies to bid for Sotelma (Mali)

  • August 29th, 2008
  • 10:48 am

18 companies have been finalised to bid for the national operator Sotelma. The government increased the price to XOF 200 billion for the incumbent operator, from XOF 80 billion.

Possible bidders include:

  • MTN
  • Vodafone
  • Zain
  • Deutsche Telekom
  • Tunisie Telecom
  • Maroc Telecom
  • Portugal Telecom
  • Saudi Telecom
  • Sudatel

Sotelma plans to sell a 51% stake (Mali)

  • August 1st, 2008
  • 11:05 am

Sotelma, Mali’s telecom operator, plans to sell a 51% stake to a strategic investor.

Lassana Ndiaye, Sotelma’s CEO, announced that 10% and 19% stakes to be reserved for employees and institutional investors, including the public, respectively and the remaining 20% are to be retained by the state.

The privatisation process will take off in October, and the sale is expected to raise funds to help Malitel, the wireless subsidiary of Sotelma, to expand its network infrastructure. The government has planned to award a third mobile phone license after the privatisation of the state-owned fixed-line incumbent.

   

France Telecom wins fixed, mobile, internet licence in Niger (Niger)

  • November 23rd, 2007
  • 2:15 pm

A France Telecom-led consortium has been awarded a EUR 48 million fixed, mobile and internet licence in Niger. The company joined forces with Mohamed Rissa, a major business leader from this country, specialised in the internet and telecommunications services sector, and Moctar Thiam, a long-standing investor in Orange Mali. Niger has a growing population of around 13 million people, and a mobile penetration rate of under 5 percent, thus offering good prospects for growth. France Telecom is already present in twelve African countries including five in West Africa, and announced its victory in Telkom Kenya’s privatisation last week. France Telecom CEO Didier Lombard said in a BFM radio interview that the group would now seek to enter Ghana, where Ghana Telecom is being privatised.

   

Orange launches in Guinea, starts Orange Zone roaming (Guinea)

  • November 6th, 2007
  • 12:50 pm

Orange has launched its latest mobile venture in Guinea. Its regional affiliate Sonatel was awarded a mobile licence earlier this year in Guinea, and the company is now launching commercial services in 11 large cities. By the end of the year, this is expected to reach 25 cities, while by 2008 the company will be present in all eight regional capitals and 33 main regional towns. Orange has committed to investing GNF 1.044 billion (EUR 180 million) in the Guinea market in its first five years. The operator also unveiled a new roaming offer. Customers in Guinea will get calls to the five countries in the Orange Zone - Senegal, Mali, Guinea Bissau, Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire - at GNF 1,000 per minute and can also make calls while roaming there at the same rate. Receiving calls in these countries will be free. Orange expects to later extend the Orange Zone offer to other countries in Africa and Europe. Other services in Guinea include the ability to transfer airtime credit to others, and three shops open already for services. Orange plans to expand the retail network nationwide.