M&ARSS

Survival of the fittest

African incumbents are under threat

The prospect of consolidation among African and Middle Eastern operators has provided much fuel for the industry rumour mill in 2009, but the apparent collapse of talks involving Zain Africa as well as those between Bharti and MTN has not diminished the appetite for expansion.

Confusion reigns over M&A in the Middle East and Africa

Progress on the region’s big M&A deals – the prospective sale of Zain Africa or a stake in Zain; and the cash and share-swap deal between Bharti and MTN – appears to have stalled. There has been such confusion in the past few days over the possible sale of a large stake in Zain to an Indo-Malaysian consortium that it is at risk of descending into a debacle.

Nigeria sets two-month deadline on Nitel privatisation

Nitel's privatisation has been beset with difficulty

Nigeria’s government has set a 60-day deadline for the privatisation of the state-owned incumbent telco Nitel, including mobile operation M-Tel. The announcement came on Monday as the Nigerian vice-president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, appointed a new board to the company to oversee its stabilisation.

Emerging markets to drive M&A growth

The ongoing potential for rapid mobile subscription growth means that emerging markets are set to take over as the main driver of M & A activity, according to research released Thursday. Findings from the Global Mobile M&A report, released by industry analyst and telecoms.com parent Informa Telecoms & Media, reveal that although M&A activity appeared [...]