Emirates Telecom & e Group and Orange Group Considering Bids for Stake in Ethiopia’s State-Owned Telecom Company

Emirates Telecom & e Group and France’s Orange Group are considering submitting bids to buy a 45% stake in Ethiopia’s state-owned telecommunications company, sources said.

She added that Etisalat and Orange are in separate discussions with advisors to evaluate Ethio stake bids.

She indicated that discussions are still at an early stage and that the Ethiopian government has not announced a timetable for the sale, according to Bloomberg.

The sources added that the Etisalat Group is also interested in applying for a third mobile operator license in the country, if offered, and companies have until September 15 to express their interest.

Emirates telecommunications group &e announced last week that it was in the early stages of negotiations with the PPF group to form a potential partnership to explore opportunities for strategic cooperation in Central and South East Europe (excluding the Czech Republic), which will benefit both groups.