World Dialogue on Regulation

"The licensing process in Iran is on hold but we are ready. MTN is however building brand presence in Iran and the Middle East. This [region] is becoming an arena for the company to grow ... we are poised and are ready when opportunities especially liberalisation opportunities present themselves," MTN representative Yvonne Muthien said.

MTN said it was prepared to acquire a 49% stake in Iran's new mobile operator. Turkey's Turkcell, which was originally awarded a 70% interest in the new group, is protesting a move by the Iranian government that will reduce its stake in the company, resulting in 51% being held by the state. Turkcell, currently in a fight to have the original terms re-instated, has made it public that it will not accept a reduced 49% shareholding.

If the licensing process is not redone, MTN will automatically be entitled to a 49% stake. Last week, the mobile group opened an office in Tehran. According to Muthien, this was to enable the company to establish a base in the Middle East.

MTN executive director Santie Botha said the company was busy behind the scenes consolidating, adding that it will announce a new deal in the near future. Muthien noted that the operator's expansion path involved mergers and acquisitions in addition to new licenses, as a result of the markets opening up across the developing world as well as stakes in new mobile and fixed national operators.

"We have to examine all opportunities carefully and prioritise accordingly…We'll reveal our future expansion in East Africa once we've concluded a new deal" Botha said.

Source: Mail and Guardian