Telecoms & ITC

Batelco in India

Batelco announced plans for a major expansion of its mobile telephone operations by moving into the developing Indian market. A consortium led by the Bahrain-based telecommunications giant has agreed to purchase a 49 per cent shareholding in S Tel Limited (S Tel), a recently established Indian mobile operation, for US$225 million. The company has partnered with Millennium Private Equity (MPE) of Dubai to form Batelco Millennium India Company Limited (BMICL) to purchase the shares in S Tel. S Tel has licences to operate in six Indian states - Bihar, Orissa, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, North East and Assam.

Gulf's Batelco to buy 49 pct of India's S Tel

Bahrain Telecommunications Co (Batelco) said it would buy 49 per cent of Indian mobile telephone operator S Tel Ltd for US$225 million, the latest in a string of recent acquisitions by Gulf operators. Batelco said it was partnering with Millennium Private Equity to acquire the stake in S Tel as it makes its first foray outside of the Middle East, where it operates in six countries. Earlier, Emirates Telecommunications Corp (Etisalat) said it was heading a consortium investing at least US$1 billion to build a new mobile telephone network in Iran, and was in talks on an acquisition in Iraq.

MENA's ICT growth to decrease by 5 per cent in 2009

A drop in IT spending is expected in 2009 as the MENA region begins to adjust to new market conditions, revealed an information and communications technology (ICT) study conducted by Madar Research in conjunction with marketing communications consultancy, Orient Planet. While the previous years were marked by unprecedented growth in PC expenditure wherein Arab countries took advantage of high oil prices and overall economic boom to heavily invest in computer technology. The latest study pointed out that the scenario has since changed, owing partly to the ongoing global financial crisis. The study concluded that the region is likely to experience a five per cent drop in ICT growth in 2009 as it eases its IT expenditure.

UAE telecom Etisalat wins rights to Iran network

The United Arab Emirates' biggest telecommunications provider said its team has won a potentially lucrative deal to enter the Iranian mobile phone market. Emirates Telecommunications Corp., known as Etisalat, said it received Iran's third nationwide mobile license as part of a consortium with Iran-based Taameen Telecom. Taameen is owned by state pension provider Iranian Social Security Organization. Etisalat has a 49 per cent stake in the consortium. The Abu Dhabi-based company said it beat other bidders because of its technical qualifications and the share of revenue it offered Tehran.

Vodafone Qatar sees new IPO date set in February

The Qatari unit of Vodafone Group expects the capital markets regulator to set a new date for its delayed initial public offering next month, a company spokeswoman said. Vodafone had planned to sell a 40 per cent stake in the operator last October, but did not get the required approvals from the Qatar Financial Markets Authority (QFMA). "Because of market conditions the QFMA told us to hold off and propose a new date, which we did," the spokeswoman said.