Tunisiana launches new mobile banking service titled ‘mobiflouss’ (Tunisia)
Mobile phone operator Tunisiana has launched a new mobile banking service, mobiflouss, in partnership with the Tunisian Mail (La Poste Tunisienne). The new payment method allows users to access mobility access to a range of payment services and transfer money from their mobile.
To qualify, a person must be a Tunisiana subscriber, carrying a prepaid card, e-DINAR SMART. Once the user registers with mobiflouss, he can perform various financial functions via his mobile phone. The service will enable users to transfer money and pay for goods and services from their mobile phone.
According to reports, Tunisia boasts of a mobile penetration rate of 110.3 percent, while less than 50 percent of the population has a bank account, thus highlighting the huge opportunity for success.
Tunisiana’s 3G bid declined (Tunisia)
Telecom operator Tunisiana’s bid for the 3G and fixed licence has been declined by Tunisia’s ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Ministry, according to a report by Biztech Africa.
As per the report the Minister of Information and Communication Technologies, Mongi Marzouk, said Tunisiana had offered to purchase the landline license for $ 23.38 million and the 3G license for $ 81.2 million. The Ministry earlier accepted the company’s proposed terms for network quality.
The report reveals that while the Ministry declined to specify what bid it would accept, it pointed out that Orange Tunisia had paid $ 179 million in June 2009 for a similar package with the option of an exclusive 3G licence for one year.
Tunisie Telecom acquired its 3G licence in 2010, for $ 75.3 million. Tunisiana has indicated that it may revise its bid.
Tunisiana’s 3G and fixed line bid rejeceted (Tunisia)
Mobile operator Tunisiana’s bid to acquire third 3G and landline licence has been rejected by the ICT Minister, as reported by Tunisia Live. According to the report, Minister of Information and Communication Technologies Mongi Marzouk, said that once they grant the licences, they will officially announce the minimum amount that they are willing to accept in order to guarantee that no operator offers them the absolute minimum.
As per the report, Tunisiana offered to purchase the landline licence for $23.5 million and the 3G licence for $81.7 million.According to Marzouk, the private telecommunications company has also presented an appropriate plan to develop the landline network and 3G coverage in the whole country, especially in the interior regions.
The report reveals that in an official response to the rejection, Director-General of Tunisiana Kenneth Campbell said that his company will carefully adjust their offer and renew it in the coming days. The next time will be the final opportunity for Tunisiana to present its financial terms.
Tunisiana wins tender for 3G licence (Tunisia)
Telecom operator Tunisiana has won a for a new telecommunications license enabling it to offer fixed telecommunications (landlines) as well as high-speed 3rd-generation wireless network, as reported by Tunisialive. Previously, only Tunisie Telecom and Orange had licenses for 3G.
Mongi Marzoug, Minister of Communication Technologies, said it is important to boost competition in the telecommunications sector in Tunisia. He recalled the results of a study by the National Institute of Telecommunications, which highlighted the opportunities and positive outcomes related to the licensing of fixed telecommunications and 3G mobile telecommunications services.
He said that the granting of this license will reduce the digital divide, by improving coverage of telecommunication services and access to these services.
Qtel acquires Orascom Telecom’s 50% of Tunisiana (Qatar)
The Qatar Exchange website has shown that Qatar Telecom (Qtel) Q.S.C has announced that it has concluded the acquisition of, via National Mobile Telecommunications Company K.S.C. (Wataniya) a 52.5% subsidiary of Qtel, Orascom Telecom Holdings (Orascom Telecom) 50% shareholding in Orascom Telecom Tunisie (Tunisiana).
Wataniya had an existing 50% shareholding in Tunisiana.
As previously communicated, the stock was acquired for a total consideration of USD 1.2billion.
Tunisia grants a 3G License
If reports are to be believed, Tunisia’s state-controlled mobile network operator, Tunisie Telecom has been awarded a 3G license. Tunisie Telecom had paid US$80.2 million for the license.
Tunisie Telecom is majority owned by the state while Dubai’s TECOM Investments and Dubai Investment Group jointly hold 35%.
There are currently three mobile network operators in the country – the state controlled Tunisie Telcom which is the sole landline operator, and Tunisiana, which presently operates a mobile phone network.
Previously this year, France Telecom’s Orange launched a 3G network in the country, in cooperation with Investec, a Tunisian subsidiary of the Mabrouk group. Orange holds 49% of the joint venture. The company was awarded its operating license in June 2009.
According to figures from the Mobile World analysts, the country has 9.95 million mobile phone users, which represents a population penetration level of 94%.
MTN-Orascom: What exactly is for sale?
Tunisiana tops three million subscribers
Telegeographhy writes…Wataniya Telecom has announced that its Tunisian wireless subsidiary Tunisiana (Orascom Telecom Tunisie, OTT) has welcomed the addition of its three millionth subscriber. ‘Since our 50% acquisition of Tunisiana in 2002, the company has experienced successful years of operations placing it today at the forefront of the telecommunications industry in Tunisia,’ said Ahmad Haleem, chief executive officer of Wataniya International.
According to Telegeography’s GlobalComms database, relations between Tunisiana’s shareholders Wataniya and Orascom – have been strained; in May last year Orascom announced it would file a request for arbitration against Wataniya to enforce what it claimed to be a contractual right to acquire Wataniya’s 50% stake in Tunisiana. In its suit, Orascom claimed it had been unable to reach an amicable resolution to its assertion that Wataniya had ‘materially breached a [shareholder] agreement’, and was therefore requesting arbitration by the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC’s) International Court of Arbitration. While details are scant as to the exact nature of the disagreement between the two parties, local press reports suggest that Orascom’s decision to litigate was motivated by the Kuwaiti operator’s decision to join a consortium, consisting of Univest, the National Bank of Development of Egypt and Aman Trading, to bid for Egypt’s third wireless licence. Had the consortium been successful (it eventually lost out to Etisalat in July 2006), Wataniya would have been a principal shareholder in a direct competitor to Orascom’s Egyptian wireless arm MobiNil.
