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SingTel may back Bharti, Zain deal
Bharti Airtel's $9bn acquisition of Kuwait-based Zain's African assets may receive financial backing from Singapore Telecoms (SingTel), Reuters has reported. Bharti and Zain are in exclusive talks until March 25 for the Kuwaiti firm's operations in 15 African countries and have agreed on an enterprise value of $10.7bn for the assets, including $1.7bn of debt on Zain Africa books.
Skype says it is open to talks over UAE ban
Josh Silverman, chief executive of global VoIP service provider, Skype has said the firm is open to discussions with the government of the UAE over its ban on access to the service, Zawya Dow Jones has reported. "I personally feel it's quite short-sighted of the government. We are always open to discussions," Silverman said at a media summit in Abu Dhabi. "The Middle East is important for Skype. We know they want to use our software, and we want to help them," he added.
Moody's places Qtel ratings under review
Moody's Investors Service has said it has placed the ratings for Qtel under review, following change in outlook to negative from stable of the Ba1 Corporate Family Rating for PT Indosat Tbk (Indosat), in which Qtel has a 65% stake. The A1 long term ratings for Qtel, the A1 rating for Qtel International Finance Limited and A1-rated bonds issued under Qtel's GMTN programme have been placed under review for possible downgrade, Moody's said.
Viva Kuwait extends roaming to 176 countries
Kuwait's telecoms service provider Viva has announced it will extend its roaming coverage to a total of 176 countries and more than 420 operators including the US, Canada, England, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, GCC, Egypt and Lebanon. The company also said it now supports GPRS roaming in 75 countries with more than 123 operators.
Orascom Telecom's tax appeal rejected by Algeria
Orascom Telecom has said its appeal against claims its Algerian unit, Djezzy owed back taxes and penalties from 2004 to 2007 has been rejected by Algerian authorities, Reuters has reported. The company said it 'intends to appeal the rejection according to the Algerian rules and regulations which dictates a three-tiered appeal process'. To do so it will have to pay 20% of the remaining balance of the taxes and penalties the Algerian government claims, or around $110m, which Orascom said it will do shortly. Orascom paid $120m in December in order to file an appeal against a $597m tax bill which Algeria says Djezzy owes for 2005-2007, according to Reuters.
Qatar Telecom '09 profit rises 21%
Qatar Telecom posted a 21% jump in full-year profit as it added new customers and expanded operations, Bloomberg has reported. Net income rose to 2.78 billion riyals ($764m) from 2.31 billion riyals a year earlier, the company said. Fourth-quarter profit dropped 7.9% to 431 million riyals as 'non-operational provisions' hurt earnings, it said, without giving further details.
Sawiris to cede control of Orascom
Naguib Sawiris is preparing to cede control of Egypt's Orascom Telecom, the international mobile operator he founded in 1998, The National has reported. "People like me need to start thinking, 'I cannot keep controlling my company, I need to cede control in exchange for shared control'," he said. "But I don't want to be an insignificant shareholder." Orascom is the world's eighth-largest mobile company by subscribers, with more than 120 million customers in 10 countries across Africa and Asia.
RIM looks into Saudi report on BlackBerry service
Canadian wireless device manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) has said it is investigating reports in the Saudi press that regulators have asked the company for access to its unique messaging service for its BlackBerry devices, Arab News has reported. Local media print and television reports last week said the Communication and Information Technology Commission (CITC) has asked RIM to allow the telecommunications regulator access to monitor messages sent by BlackBerry Messenger, or BBM. "RIM operates in more than 170 countries around the world and respects the regulatory requirements of governments," the company said in a statement.
Egypt may sell stakes in Telecom Egypt in two years
Egypt's communications minister, Tarek Kamel has said the country may sell a 'sizable' stake in fixed-line telephone monopoly Telecom Egypt (ETEL) within the next two years, Bloomberg has reported. The minister also said the government may award a fourth wireless license "in the coming few years." The main aim will be to focus on "value-added services as well as new applications," he said.
STC launches Bahrain unit
The Saudi Telecom Co (STC) has launched the operations of its Bahraini unit, Viva Bahrain, Arab News has reported. STC won Bahrain's third mobile network operating license with a bid of BD86.7m ($231m) in March last year. Bahrain's other two mobile phone companies are state-run Batelco and Kuwait's Zain.
Skype releases Nokia smartphone programme
Skype and Nokia have jointly announced the release of Skype for Symbian, a Skype client for Nokia smartphones based on the Symbian platform. Skype for Symbian will allow Nokia smartphone users worldwide to use Skype over either a WiFi or mobile data connection (GPRS, EDGE, 3G). Skype's application can be downloadable for free from Nokia's online shop for mobile content, the Ovi Store.
Saudi telecom sector in 'privileged position
A new report by Shuaa Capital predicts that more residents in Saudi Arabia will sign up to broadband internet on their mobile devices than on personal computers in the next year, the National has reported. The report said the Saudi telecommunications market will become increasingly competitive this year, with new promotions for mobile broadband devices expected to flood the market. Overall, the kingdom's telecoms sector is in a 'privileged position' compared with other operators in the Gulf, as the country will continue to benefit from stable population growth, high disposable income and better economic prospects.
Kuwait to investigate trading of Zain stock
The Kuwait Stock Exchange plans to investigate a report submitted by its general manager on 'doubtful trading' in shares of telecom operator Zain, Al-Qabas has reported, citing bourse officials it didn't identify. 'Intense trading' in shares of Zain took place prior to the announcement of a deal, the newspaper said, without identifying the deal. The bourse report raises questions as to whether some parties benefited from information that hadn't been officially announced, according to Al-Qabas.
UAE issues third telecom licence
The UAE has given a third telecom company a licence to operate in the country, Emirates Business has reported. Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Mubadala Development Company, has been granted a 10-year licence to provide satellite services by the UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, which will allow it to install, operate and manage a public telecommunications network and provide satellite telecom services. The company plans to offer a range of voice, data, video and internet connectivity solutions.
Zain Saudi Arabia users top 6 million
Zain Saudi Arabia has exceeded 6 million active subscribers, the state-run Saudi Press Agency has reported, citing the company's chief operating officer Ismail Fikri. Zain Saudi Arabia launched its operations in the kingdom 18 months ago.
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