UK-based operator Vodafone and Indian giant Bharti Airtel are looking to expand in Cote d’Ivoire by acquiring number four mobile player Comium, according to publication Jeune Afrique which does not cite sources.
Comium, which operates under the Koz…
UK-based operator Vodafone and Indian giant Bharti Airtel are looking to expand in Cote d’Ivoire by acquiring number four mobile player Comium, according to publication Jeune Afrique which does not cite sources.
Comium, which operates under the Koz brand in the country, is also present in Gambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
In Cote d’Ivoire the operator, founded by Lebanese businessman Nizar Dalloul, has been hit by growing competition from its larger rivals MTN, Orange and Etisalat’s Moov.
Number five GreenN, owned by Libyan holding Lap GreenN, and Aircomm’s Cafe Mobile also lag behind.
In late May, the country’s communications ministry called for the three smallest players to merge in order to create a viable fourth player with a 10% market share. At present, Orange and MTN both control around 35% of the mobile market while Etisalat has 20%.
According to Jeune Afrique, Dalloul is also considering selling its units in Sierra Leone and Liberia, which too are among the smallest players in their respective markets.
Both Airtel and Vodafone already have a strong presence on the African continent. Since it bought Zain’s African subsidiaries for US$10.7bn in 2010, Airtel now operates in 17 nations and has been consolidating its position in several of those countries.
Meanwhile, Vodafone is present in eight countries in Africa, including South Africa where it is the leading telco.
Vodafone declined to comment while Comium and Airtel were not immediately available before the press deadline.
