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| Tuesday, 24 July 2007 | |
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TeliaSonera has completed the US$300mn acquisition of majority stakes in wireless operators in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan proportionate to nearly 780,000 subscribers.
TeliaSonera has acquired the stakes through a deal to buy MCT Corp, a US-based holding company. Among MCT’s shareholders was Russia’s Golden Telecom, which agreed to sell its 23% stake for around US$48mn. The move gives TeliaSonera access to three markets with a combined population of 67mn. Notably, penetration rates in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan currently stand at 20%, 13% and 8% respectively. The companies involved are: • Uzbekistan: a stake of more than 99%, in Coscom, the country’s number three mobile operator in Uzbekistan, with 393,000 subscribers and a market share of approximately 11% as of May 2007; • Tajikistan: 60% stakes in Indigo and Somoncom, which together form the second largest mobile operation in Tajikistan, with 377,000 subscribers and a market share of approximately 27% as of May 2007; • Afghanistan: a 12.25% stake in Roshan, the mobile market leader with 1.3mn subscribers and a market share of approximately 50% as of May 2007. “This transaction underlines TeliaSonera’s strategy to be the leading Eurasian mobile operator and strengthens our commitment and presence in the region”, said Tero Kivisaari, Head of TeliaSonera’s business area Eurasia. TeliaSonera already boasts majority stakes in mobile operators in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova. Jim Chalmers |
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