The deadline for bids for a 49% stake in Movitelh, the mobile unit of state-owned operator Hondutel, has been pushed back.
The government had set 2 January as the cut-off date, but that has now been extended to 25 January at the behest of interested…
The deadline for bids for a 49% stake in Movitelh, the mobile unit of state-owned operator Hondutel, has been pushed back.
The government had set 2 January as the cut-off date, but that has now been extended to 25 January at the behest of interested parties.
Hondutel has said that 13 foreign companies have requested the rules for bidding.
Experts have previously suggested to TelecomFinance that it is doubtful that the government will be able to dispose the stake for the asking price of at least US$75m, especially given that it is not selling a controlling stake.
According to industry watchers the state-owned mobile operator lags behind Claro and Tigo in terms of technologies, is in need of rebranding, and lacks national coverage.
The government has attempted to privatise the mobile unit in the past but this has led to a strong backlash from trade unions.
Hondutel accounted for a less than 2% mobile market share in Q4 2012, with Millicom’s Tigo and America Movil’s Claro brand dominating the market, according to data from Signals Telecoms Consulting.
