Etisalat, the Middle Eastern mobile operator has reportedly unveiled that it has enough funds to pay in order to acquire the Moroccan mobile operator, Meditel. The list of bidders for the deal includes Oger Telecom, a telecom group controlled by the Saudi Oger Group, Qatar Telecommunications (Qtel) and Etisalat, the bankers close to the deal said. Confirmed bids are due by September 14 and a decision is expected later that month.
Through this deal, Etisalat would make inroad in Morocco, one of the fastest growing wireless market in North Africa, with 25 Million wireless subs in 2008, and Africa in general. Meditel, the second largest carrier in Morocco with over 8 million wireless subscriers in 2008, has gained good traction over the years.
Through this deal, Etisalat would then have a strong presence in two of the largest wireless markets in North Africa (Morocco and Egypt).
