www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Qtel, the Qatari mobile operator, reportedly said that it has interest in Portugal Telecom’s stake in Moroccan mobile operator, Mobitel. Bankers are working on financing to back bids for a potential 64.4% stake in Meditel.
Portugal Telecom owns 32.2% stake in Meditel is up for sale along with Spain’s Telefonica’s 32.2%. ‘Qatar Telecom confirms its interest in the process initiated by Portugal Telecom SGPS SA regarding the sale of their stake in Medi Telcom, Meditel,’ the firm said in a statement.
‘The intentions of the remaining shareholders in Meditel are still unclear, and, as such, Qtel will continue to monitor the situation until the facts becomes clearer,’ the statement said.
On 08.31.09, In Mobile, By Editor
On 08.31.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Etisalat, the Middle Eastern mobile operator has reportedly unveiled that it has enough funds to pay in order to acquire the Moroccan mobile operator, Meditel. The list of bidders for the deal includes Oger Telecom, a telecom group controlled by the Saudi Oger Group, Qatar Telecommunications (Qtel) and Etisalat, the bankers close to the deal said. Confirmed bids are due by September 14 and a decision is expected later that month.
On 07.28.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Meditel has reported results from the second quarter of 2009, in which its turnover rebounded by 1% to MAD1.24 billion (USD158 million) on the back of year-on-year customer base growth of nearly 22% to 8.6 million, up from 7.1 million at mid-2008, regardless of a 16% drop in ARPU over the year.
The subscriber growth rate was anticipated to be greater than larger rival Maroc Telecom, which by the last published count had 14.6 million users at end-March 2009, up from 14.2 million in June 2008. Meditel broke down its performance by segments for investors, showing post-paid revenues that were up 5.8%, enterprise user sales up 9.0%, internet turnover up 120%, and pre-pay revenues up 2.8%, with only earnings from international and roaming services down 6.4%.
On 07.06.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Telefonica will sell 32.18% stake in Moroccan GSM operator Medi Telecom (Meditel), the Chairman of the Spanish telecoms giant, Cesar Alierta, said. Alierta did not confirm whether a potential buyer had been found yet, but indicated that Telefonica was looking to take advantage of any potential opportunity for a sale, ‘in partnership’ with PT. The potential buyers include Egypt’s Orascom Telecom, Qatar Telecom (Qtel), Etisalat of the UAE, Saudi Telecom, Bahrain Telecom (Batelco) and France Telecom.
On 06.16.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Telecom Egypt is reportedly studying the possibility of bidding for a stake in Moroccan mobile operator Medi Telecom (Meditel) recently put up for sale by Portugal Telecom, as well as a stake in the company which Spain’s Telefonica is considering selling.
Tarek Tantawy, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Telecom Egypt, pointed out that the company is particularly interested in acquiring operators in possession of both fixed line and mobile networks in the Middle East and North Africa region. Other groups linked with possible bids for Meditel include Orascom Telecom, Etisalat, Batelco, Saudi Telecom, Qtel and France Telecom.
On 05.18.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Etisalat, the African and Middle Eastern mobile operator, said that it intends to bid for a stake in the Moroccan mobile operator, Meditel. The operator seeks acquisition as the recession calls for lowered asset prices. Portugal Telecom has appointed Morgan Stanley to sell its 32% stake in Meditel, people familiar with the matter said earlier this month.
On 04.15.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Orascom Telecom, the Egyptian mobile operator, intends to acquire the Moroccan service provider, Meditel. Portugal Telecom is looking for a potential buyer for the 32.18% stake it holds in Meditel. Orascom wants to close the deal by the end of April. The stake is worth EUR 300 million.
On 04.09.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Portugal Telecom is reportedly planning to divest its 32.18% stake in Moroccan private mobile phone operator Meditel to Egypt-based Orascom Telecom (OT) for an undisclosed sum.
Orascom had to sell its ownership in Egyptian telecomms firm Mobinil ( due to a conflict with France Telecom (EPA:FTE) over the control of Meditel, in which Mobinil has a 51% stake.
For more information, please visit www.telecom.pt/
On 08.20.08, In Mobile, By Editor
Morocco’s telecoms sector is showing healthy progress, with mobile penetration rates growing. Nevertheless, it has been said the market remains far from developed and prices may need to be lowered, and the competitive environment improved, before the country can establish a customer base with maximum profitability.
MT reported a net income of around Dh8m ($1m) for 2007, up 18.7% compared to 2006. The strong growth was due largely to its mobile phone operations and better cost management. It also announced its expectation for profit growth of over 9% in 2008 with an estimated sales growth.
One of the most significant events has been the introduction of North Africa’s first 3G mobile phone licences. Wana heightened the level of competition in the mobile segment in March 2007, when it introduced North Africa’s first 3G+ service, also known as 3.5G, beating both Meditel and MT to market by nine months.
Notable highlights of the 3Q08 Morocco Mobile Forecast include:
- Total subscribers in Morocco will increase from 23million to 26million over the forecast period of 2008 – 2010. The wireless penetration level will increase from 73.9% to 83%
- In 2010, we expect that Maroc Telecom, Medi Tel and Wana will serve 65.4%, 32% and 2.8% of the subscriber base in Morocco. With Wana expanding the size of its operation, the leading player, Maroc Telecom, will be losing its market share slightly. Maroc Telecom’s market share will decrease from up to 66.2% in 2008 to 65.4% in 2010
- During the forecast period from 2008 to 2010, we think that Maroc Telecom’s share of net additions will fall from 64.6% to 51% while that of Wana increases from 5.4% to 20.7%
- Maroc Telecom will continue to enjoy a high EBITDA margin at 61.6% while MediTel is forecasted to have a 45% EBITDA margin in 2010
- In 2010, Maroc Telecom is forecasted to register ARPU of US$ 13.4/month as opposed to US$ 7.9 for Medi Tel