Telecom Egypt to provide mobile service
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: To compensate for declining landline subscriptions, Egypt’s fixed-line monopoly, Telecom Egypt will provide mobile services, informed a company executive.
According to the Vice President Mohammed Abdel Rehim, mobile phones are giving tough competition to the fixed-line phones resulting in the decline in their numbers.
However when contacted, the state-owned company denied to comment or confirm if it would seek a mobile license.
Prime Capital named by Mobinil to evaluate France Telecom offer
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Prime Capital has been appointed by the Egyptian Company for Mobile Services or Mobinil, to evaluate an offer by France Telecom’s unit to buy up to 100% of Mobinil. Prime Capital is supposed to submit the evaluation before January 5, 2010.
The assessment of the offer will be done before January 9, 2010 on the basis of the evaluation by the Mobinil’s board of directors. An offer from France Telecom unit to buy up to 100% of Egyptian Co. for Mobile Services at 245 Egyptian pounds ($44.42) for the ECMS, was approved by Egypt’s regulator on December 10.
There are disputes regarding France Telecom’s and Orascom Telecom’s stake in Mobinil and the latter has appealed the decision made by the regulator.
Advisor on France’s Tel offer named by Mobinil
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Mobinil, an Egyptian company for mobile services has appointed an independent financial adviser for evaluating and buying France’s Telecom’s offer. The firm has been at the centre of a long and often rancorous dispute between its two main shareholders, Orascom Telecom and France Telecom.
In a statement to the stock exchange, the firm attributed that they have appointed Prime Capital which will submit an evaluation of the offer before January 5. However the company will formally announce the results of the evaluation only before January 9, it said.
While Orange Participations, France’s Telecom subsidiary is offering 245 Egyptian pounds ($44.54) for each freely traded share in Mobinil, the last date for the offer for the shares will end with the closing of the trading session on January 14.
Canada govt allows Wind telecom to start operations; overturns regulator’s decision
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Communications regulator CRTC’s decision has been overturned by the Canadian Government which has allowed Ezyptian based mobile newcomer Globalive Wireless Management, backed by Orascom
telecom, to launch its services in Canada.
Globalive, which operates under the name Wind Mobile, acquired spectrum rights for CDN 442 million in August 2008. At present, the company has built most of its network and would launch service in Toronto and Calgary this month.
CRTC announced in October that the company was operating against telecom law requiring a minimum level of Canadian ownership. Orascom owns slightly more than 65 percent of the equity in Globalive and nearly all of its debt, which the regulator felt gave the foreign investors too much control over the company’s daily operations.
While overturning the CRTC’s decision, Industry Canada, the government ministry said that 80 percent of Globalive’s voting shares are held by Canadians. Besides, the company is based in Toronto and should be considered Canadian and allowed to start services in order to stimulate competition on the mobile market.
The decision has been welcomed by Wind but rival mobile operator Telus which said that this will give an “unique advantage†to Wind, after other companies were told they could not bid with foreign investors in the spectrum auction.
