Bharti to close Zain Africa deal soon
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Bharti- Zain deal is expected to be closed soon by both Bharti Airtel and Zain Africa to acquire latter’s African business. Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel is in the process for getting approvals for its acquisition.
Bharti Airtel signed a deal with Kuwait-based Zain Telecom in March to buy its African business for $10.7 billion, consummation of which will transform Bharti into a truly global telecom company with operations across 18 countries.
The deal will also make Sunil Mittal-led Bharti the world’s seventh largest mobile operator with a total subscriber base of about 179 million with an estimated revenues of $13 billion. Zain on the other hand has operations in 17 African countries and Bharti has acquired all, excluding Sudan and Morocco.
America Movil launches tender offer for Carso & Telint
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Carso Global Telecom and Telmex International (Telint) tender offer has been launched by America Movil and the telco has announced that a share exchange offer will be launched to the shareholders of the two companies.
America Movil will get an indirect 59.4 percent stake in fixed-line operator Telefonos de Mexico (Telmex) and 60.7 percent in Telmex Internacional through the share swap. MXN 11.66 in cash or 0.373 AMX L shares for each series L share or series A share tendered has been offered by America Movil and it has offered MXN 233.20 in cash or 0.373 AMX L ADSs for each Telmex Internacional ADS tendered.
America Movil is also offering 2.0474 AMX L Shares for each Carso share tendered, and 0.20474 AMX ADSs for each Carso ADS tendered.
GTel receives fixed line license in Vietnam govt
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Local telecoms operator GTel has been awarded a license by Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) allowing it to deploy a network for the provision of fixed telephony services.
Vietnamese state-owned vehicles Global Telecommunications Corporation owns 51% of the GTel, 40% is owned by
Russian mobile group Vimpelcom and 9% by GTEL TSC. Wireless services have already been launched by the telco in Vietnam in July 2009 under the Beeline banner.
After state-owned incumbent Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), military-owned Viettel, electricity firm EVN Telecom, Saigon Post and Telecommunications (SPT), FPT Telecom, VNPT subsidiary VTC Group and IT company CMC, GTel has become the eighth licensed fixed line operator in Vietnam.
America Movil plans to close Carso, Telmex takeovers soon (Latin America)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The proposed acquisitions of Telmex Internacional SAB and Carso Global Telecom SAB has been planned to be closed by America Movil SAB in the month of May, America Movil is Latin America’s largest mobile operator. The tender offers for the two companies will be launched by America Movil on April 7 and May 5.
With a deal creating a telecom giant with about 250 million subscribers in the Americas, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim’s has planned to consolidate his diverse telecommunications holdings under America Movil through this tender.
2.0474 shares has been offered by the telco for every share held in Carso Global Telecom, giving it a 59.4% stake in Mexico’s largest fixed-line carrier Telefonos de Mexico SAB and 60.7% of South American carrier Telmex Internacional.
The rest of Telmex Internacional is also seeked to be acquired by the wireless giant by offering minority shareholders 0.373 America Movil share or MXN11.66 in cash, for each Telmex Internacional share.
82.48 billion pesos ($6.55 billion) would have to be paid by telco in the event all of Telmex Internacional’s minority shareholders were to opt for cash. Delisting of Carso Global Telecom and Telmex Internacional from the stock exchanges is also in America Movil’s plan while Telmex will remain a stand-alone, publicly traded company.
MTN refuses to comment on Dubai rumors
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: No comment has been made by ¬South Africa’s MTN on the rumors regarding the moving of its headquarters from the country to the Middle East. The refusal came after it was reported that the company plans to move its group operations out of the country and eventually delist its shares from the Johannesburg Securities Exchange.
According to MTN executive director Nozipho January-Bardill in late January, the planned relocation of the technical services support team to Dubai is part of the group’s ongoing response to the challenges of the changing global telecommunications industry and it is also intended to address the logistical challenge of supporting the group’s networks in the Middle East in particular, and certain parts of Africa.
Using Dubai as a regional hub offers significant benefits to the company for tax and transport options even though MTN doesn’t have any operations in the UAE.
Kuwait’s Zain appoints ex-minister Salama as CEO
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Former minister Nabil Bin Salama has been appointed as the chief executive of Kuwait’s Mobile Telecommunications Co or Zain replacing Saad Al Barrak, who has stepped down.
The board of the third-largest Arab telecom operator by market value expressed their confidence in the professional capabilities of Mr Bin Salama in continuing the company’s future direction and path in maximizing shareholder value.
Outgoing CEO, Al Barrak was appointed in 2002 and lead the company’s aggressive expansion drive with acquisitions and licenses aimed at turning the company into a top-ten global telecom player by 2011.
Telcel and Telmex tie-up opposed by Mexican cablecos
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Mexico’s antitrust watchdog, the Comision Federal de Competencia (Cofeco), has been requested by the country’s cable television operators to reject businessman Carlos Slim’s plan to merge his wireless and fixed line operators, Telcel and Telmex.
According to Camara Nacional de la Industria de Telecomunicaciones por Cable (CANITEC), a trade body representing cablecos including Megacable, the tie- up could effectively cripple competition in the Mexican telecommunication sectors.
The plea came after the revelation that America Movil (AM) is planning to consolidate both Slim’s other telecoms companies Carso Global Telecom and Telmex Internacional (Telint). America Movil took the decision to create a regional telecoms giant offering fixed line, wireless and broadband services, to more than 250 million subscribers.
Share exchange offered by America Movil to Carso, Telmex Internacional shareholders
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: A share exchange offer to the shareholders of Carso Global Telecom and Telmex Internacional will be launched by Mobile operator America Movil. 2.0474 shares of the stock will be exchanged by America Movil for each Carso share.
An indirect 59.4 percent stake in fixed-line operator Telefonos de Mexico (Telmex) and 60.7 percent in Telmex Internacional would be gained by America Movil through this share swap. Telmex Internacional shareholders would then be offered around 0.373 America Movil shares or MXN 11.66 (approximately USD 0.92) in cashes for each of its share.
America Movil has also planned to delist Telmex Internacional and Carso Global Telecom from all stock exchanges following the stake swap. Integrated (voice, data and video) services in the region is intended to be offered by America Movil, independent of the platform on which they are generated via this business consolidation.
