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For African telecoms news, AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST TELECOM WEEK is your weekly news service in this fast-moving telecoms market! Never before has Africa and the Middle East offered such a remarkable business opportunity for telecom manufacturers, operators and suppliers. africantelecomsnews Click here for immediate online Archive access. Telecom News & Operator Data from issue 410 dated 04 February 2010: A & ME SUBSCRIBER STATISTICS: Middle East Top 40 Mobile Operators by Rank 3Q 2009 AFRICA: Essar Group eyes USD 2 billion investment India’s multinational conglomerate Essar Group plans to make an investment of USD 2 billion for setting up a pan-... < more > MTNL seeks expansion in overseas markets Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL), an India-based government-owned entity, is all geared up to enter... < more > Vodacom brings DRC into line Vodacom Group revenue for the quarter ended 31 December 2009 rose by 6 percent year-on-year to SAR... < more > BAHRAIN: Batelco posts improved annual 2009 results Batelco has announced annual financial results for 2009 posting a 0.8 percent increase in net profit from ... < more > BOTSWANA: MOU for BTC and Powertel The Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) and Zimbabwe’s cable telco PowerTel have signed... < more > COTE D'IVOIRE: Atlantique becomes wholly owned Etisalat has increased its shareholding in Atlantique Telecom to 100 percent by acquiring the additional...< more > GHANA: New towers put on hold The Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST) has banned the erection of ... < more > IRAQ: Ready-made SMS solution for Itisaluna Itisaluna Abr Al Iraq, the national fixed wireless voice and data provider, has started use of its global...< more > ISRAEL: Bezeq to offer more plan options The Egyptian telecom regulator might consider auctioning the fourth mobile phone licence....< more > GHANA: Tower trading for Tigo Itisaluna Abr Al Iraq, the national fixed wireless voice and data provider, has started use of its global...< more > ISRAEL: Bezeq to offer more plan options Bezeq has received approval from Ministry of Communications to offer more plan options to compete ...< more > MVNO licence challenge for 012 Smile Ampal-American, which has recently completed the acquisition of 012 Smile businesses, may not be eligible...< more > NetVision refuses to pay for Internet traffic NetVision has refused to honour a payment under the terms of a contract it had signed with Bezeq. According ...< more > KENYA: Mohamed Nyaoga joins Telkom Kenya board Telkom Kenya has added Mohamed Nyaoga, a Nairobi-based lawyer, to its nine-member board...< more > Telcos to lease fibre-optic cable capacity from Kenya Power Three Kenyan telecom carriers Safaricom, Jamii Telecommunications and Wananchi Group will sign an ...< more > Telekom Kenya sets CAPEX for 2010 Telekom Kenya, a subsidiary of France Telecom, has outlined an investment of KES 10 -...< more > MOZAMBIQUE: Preliminaries announced for third mobile licence Mobile phone companies mcel and Vodacom can shortly expect interest from rivals seeking entry into the market...< more > NIGERIA: Etisalat provides country-wide coverage Wael Ammar, the CMO of Etisalat Nigeria, announced that the company has achieved national network ...< more > Rural expansion for Zain Zain Nigeria has awarded a contract to Motorola for the expansion of the existing GSM network, with...< more > OMAN: Omantel safeguards network TippingPoint, a leading network security provider and a subsidiary of 3Com, announced that Omantel ...< more > PALESTINE: Zain plans to revive merger talks Zain is reportedly planning to revive merger talks with Palestinian telecom carrier Paltel. The carrier wants to...< more > SAUDI ARABIA: Zain seeks loan for expansion Zain plans to raise a loan of USD 500-600 million for financing its expansion drive in Saudi Arabia. It holds a...< more > SOUTH AFRICA: Neotel to start number porting from April South Africa’s telecom network operator Neotel has announced plans to offer number porting facility to...< more > Wireless operators to reduce interconnection fee South African wireless operators, Vodacom, MTN and Cell C, have mutually agreed to lower their interconnection...< more > TANZANIA: Government grasps investment nettle Mobile operators will have to list on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange following the passing of the Electronic...< more > Tailored convergent packages from Vodacom Vodacom Tanzania pre-paid subscribers will now be able to enjoy the same value-added services as their ...< more > TOGO: 3G wireless network for Togo Cellulaire Alcatel-Lucent has signed a EUR 22 million (USD 31.03 million) contract with Togo’s leading...< more > TURKEY: Russians blocks consolidation plans Igor Artemev, the head of Russia's Federal Anti-monopoly Service, has blocked the efforts of Alfa Group’s...< more > UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Etisalat posts healthy annual 2009 results Etisalat has announced financial results for 2009 posting a 4 percent y-o-y surge in net profit to AED...< more > Telcos await go-ahead for VoIP UAE’s mobile phone carriers - Etisalat and du - are reportedly gearing up to launch their VoIP services in the...< more > TRA to implement framework to boost competition The UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) plans to implement a new framework by the end...< more > ZAMBIA: MTN to invest 25 percent of turnover According to Ernst Fonternel, Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Zambia, the company intends to invest 25 ...< more > ZIMBABWE: NetOne seeks to renegotiate loan terms NetOne, the Zimbabwe-based state-run telecom operator, has said that it is trying to renegotiate the terms of a...< more > POTRAZ grants 3G frequencies to Telecel Telecel Zimbabwe, one of the three mobile phone carriers in the country, has announced that it has been successful ...< more > Telone to take legal action to recover outstanding debts Telone is set to take legal action against its defaulting subscribers, who currently owe millions of dollars to...< more > Issue index: 410 - 04 Jan 2010 | 409 - 28 Jan 2010 | 408 - 21 Jan 2010 | 407 - 14 Jan 2010 | 406 - 07 Jan 2010 | 405 - 31 Dec 2009 |404 - 24 Dec 2009 |403 - 17 Dec 2009 | 402 - 10 Dec 2009 | 401 - 3 Dec 2009 | 400 - 26 Nov 2009 | 399 - 19 Nov 2009 Why Africa? "...Africa remains Millicom's fastest growing region and an increasing proportion of total Group capex has been invested in the region in 2008 and we expect that this will continue in 2009. The slightly lower growth in new subscribers, 611 thousand in Q4, reflects the more challenging economic conditions across Africa, but we expect to continue to achieve high growth in Africa as, with around 160 million people under license, Africa represents 55% of Millicom's potential market and with the penetration still low in all our markets, there is potential for high growth for many years to come." Millicom 4Q 2008 Financial Report Why 'Africa & Middle East Telecom-Week'? developing-telecoms.blogspot.com - 14 April 2009 "I have, of late, been taking advantage of an excellent newsletter from Blycroft Publishing - Africa & Middle East Telecoms Week." Acision "I like your magazine a lot! Very up-to-date and interesting info." Saudi Telecom "...it was my pleasure to receive your Africa & Middle east Telecom week, I believe it’s one of the highest standard reports I have seen in terms of coverage to the big news especially in Saudi Arabia where I work." Globitel "The title is meaningful, I like it mostly, nothing was bad so far.... It is great news." Neugroups "It is an excellent source of information, well compiled and concise. I am indeed interested to continue. Thank You." listerus & partners "I think that A & ME is very good. We are a consulting company and recommend it to our clients." September 2009 Country Report - Democratic Republic of Congo Telecoms Market Overview & Statistics The DRC is a mineral-rich country that is recovering from civil strife and many years of pillage by its former leaders which has accounted for the low level of development of its telecommunications and other infrastructure. While there has been little success with revitalising the fixed-line network infrastructure, the mobile networks have experienced strong growth and provide a replacement for fixed telephony and public payphones. Following the launch of mobile data services, they are also set to become major players in the underdeveloped Internet and broadband sector. Overall, market penetration is still well below the African average, leaving enormous potential for future growth. Check out the African Telecoms News' resource area for mobile telecoms market information and data. Click here for market research reports, studies and research services covering other telecom markets.

Claim your FREE Wallchart worth $299... when you subscribe to 'Africa & Middle East Telecom-Week' IN THIS WEEK'S ISSUE: Middle East Top 10 Mobile Operators Market Share 3Q 2009 pie-chart Middle East Top 40 Mobile Operators 3Q 2009 data table Vodacom y-o-y Growth Rates 3Q06-4Q09 chart Batelco Mobile Subscribers & Annual Growth 2004-2009 chart Mozambique Mobile Subscribers & Mobile Penetration 4Q07-4Q09 chart & data table Nigeria GSM operators Mobile Subscribers 3Q07-3Q09 chart Distribution of Vodacom Technologies in Tanzania table UAE Etisalat Mobile Subscribers & Annual Growth 2001-2009 table Zambia Mobile Subscribers and Penetration 3Q07-3Q09 data table and chart