Vodafone inks Libya marketing deal

UK-based Vodafone has signed a marketing partnership with Al-Madar, the smallest of Libya’s two state-owned mobile operators.
The deal involves no equity arrangement, for either now or later, a Vodafone spokesperson said.
The spokesperson explained that…

UK-based Vodafone has signed a marketing partnership with Al-Madar, the smallest of Libya’s two state-owned mobile operators.

The deal involves no equity arrangement, for either now or later, a Vodafone spokesperson said.

The spokesperson explained that the agreement would help Vodafone better serve the increasing number of multinationals that are doing business in Libya.

Under the agreement, Al-Madar will have exclusive access to Vodafone services and products, including phones, in Libya. In exchange, Vodafone will have access to Al-Madar’s network to offer its customers a range of services that use home network capabilities or roaming.

The deal will help Vodafone better serve its business customers “as they look to grow their operations in Libya,” Colin MacDougall, Vodafone Partner Markets director for Africa and the Middle East, said in a statement.

Al Madar CEO Abdulkhalek Ben Ashuor said the deal would help the operator strengthen its offerings ahead of the state’s plan to open up the telecom sector to foreign investors.

Libya launched an international tender for a new mobile and fixed-line licence last year, but no news has emerged about the process, even though a winner was supposed to be announced last October.

It is understood that Etisalat was a strong candidate for the beauty contest, while Turkcell and Qtel had also manifested an interest.

Tripoli-based Gumhouria Bank advised the General Telecommunications Authority (GTA) on the process.