Telecommunications

Africa’s Largest Data-Center Firm Raises $91 Million for Growth

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Teraco Data Environments, which says it is the largest provider of data-center services in Africa, said it raised 1.2 billion rand ($90 million) from South African lender Barclays Africa Group Ltd. to invest in information-technology infrastructure on the continent. The closely held business will use some of the cash to complete the construction of a new data center in eastern Johannesburg by the end of year, according to a statement e-mailed…

Nigerian Regulator Seeks to Block Takeover of Etisalat Unit

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s telecommunications regulator is seeking to block a potential takeover of Emirates Telecommunications Corp.’s unit in the country by a group of banks after the mobile-phone operator missed repayments on a $1.2 billion syndicated loan. The Nigerian Communications Commission has urged the central bank to intervene in the matter because it is concerned over the fate of Etisalat Nigeria’s more than 20 million subscribers in the country, the Abuja-based NCC said in an…

MTN to Merge Nigeria Tower Assets in $788 Million Share Exchange

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – MTN Group Ltd., Africa’s largest mobile-phone operator, said it will merge its shareholdings in Nigerian tower operators into a single asset by switching a stake worth about 10.6 billion rand ($788 million) from one company to another. The carrier will exchange a 51 percent stake in the owner of INT Towers Ltd. for a larger shareholding in Lagos-based IHS Holding Ltd., the Johannesburg-based company said in a statement on Wednesday. The deal will…

Vodacom Said to Mull Sale of Shareholding to Black Investors

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Vodafone Group Plc’s publicly traded South African unit is considering the sale of a 15 billion rand ($1.1 billion) stake in what would be one of the country’s biggest ever deals aimed at boosting black participation in the economy, according to two people familiar with the matter. Vodacom Group Ltd. plans to buy back part of the 12.47 percent stake owned by government-pension fund manager the Public Investment Corp., said…

MTN Drops as Phone Carrier Confronts New Allegations in Nigeria

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LAGOS, Capital Markets in Africa: MTN Group Ltd. shares slumped the most in three months after Nigerian lawmakers raised new allegations about the wireless carrier, this time accusing the company of illegally moving almost $14 billion out of its largest market. Nigeria’s Senate will thoroughly investigate the claim, it said on its Twitteraccount on Tuesday. The Johannesburg-based company, Africa’s biggest wireless carrier by sales, is accused of repatriating the funds over 10 years starting in 2006, according…

Telecom Egypt considers buying more spectrum

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CAIRO, Capital Markets in Africa: Telecom Egypt, the state fixed-line monopoly, said on Monday it was considering buying more spectrum, weeks after acquiring a fourth-generation (4G) licence that will allow it to directly offer mobile phone services for the first time. “Telecom Egypt has presented a request to the National Telecom Regulatory Authority to understand the terms and conditions related to any other spectrum on offer so it can be studied and evaluated,” it said…

Too Many Satellites Means Sky-High Margins Under Pressure

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS, Capital Markets in Africa: Satellite operators are launching more high-powered communications rigs into space, with two more set to join about two-dozen already in orbit by the end of the year, crowding the skies and threatening the industry’s fat profit margins. The new orbiters being launched at a cost of as much as $500 million each are forcing established operators to embark on costly upgrades of their fleets at a time when their business…

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