ETISALAT (DUBAI) DENIES IT HAS BOUGHT STAKE IN ARMENTEL
TeleGeography, D.C.
Oct 11 2006
UAE-based operator Etisalat has denied media reports that it has agreed
to purchase a 90% stake in Armenian fixed line operator ArmenTel,
writes Bloomberg. The Russian Kommersant newspaper, citing a source
close to the Armenian government, yesterday reported that a consortium
led by the Dubai-based telco, and including investment fund Istithmar,
had agreed to pay Greece’s Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation
(OTE) USD600 million for its stake in the Armenian telco. The source
said that the consortium won the tender earlier this year, beating
off rival bids from Russian companies AFK Sistema and VimpelCom,
and a consortium of VTEL Holdings and Knightsbridge Associates.