Mobile Telephone Networks Limited (MTN)

Bharti Airtel rumored to be under pressure to increase its offer for MTN as talks continue.

Frustrated at high tariffs, mobile users in Syria staged a one day boycott of mobile phone services.

Wholesale international traffic carrier Six Telecoms hopes to take advantage of the boost in capacity to Africa as a number of submarine cables come online

MTN has launched 3.5G services in Ghana using high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) technology

With reward comes risk, and nowhere is this more evident than in African countries with low teledensity rates, with Sudan providing a stark illustration.

Government backed operator launches 3G services to compete with rival MTN Rwandacel.

Strong subscriber growth overshadowed by weaker than expected revenue and profit growth

While the global credit crunch has made a significant dent in global M&A deals, the telecom sector in the Middle East, Africa and Asia appears to be heading in the opposite direction. According to industry insiders, the sector is likely to see significant deal activity in the next couple of years, with even a merger of two of the Middle East’s biggest operators a possibility.

India has been propelled into the headlines with at least two telecom operators linked to a South African deal.

MTN wanted Bharti to become subsidiary, says Indian telco

Bharti Airtel sets its sights on MENA telecom market with $19 billion bid for MTN

Nigeria's telecoms market is experiencing phenomenal growth - but its rise is tempered by concerns over quality of service

Nigerian Communcations Commission fines operators for poor service

MTN aims to improve broadband services with core network upgrade

The region's telecoms market belongs to a handful of key players, each of which is hungry and hunting the next big prize.

With the MTN Group’s operations in Afghanistan and Iran still in their respective launch years, both operations have made significant gains in challenging market environments. Etisalat is set to follow suit shortly in Afghanistan and in Iran, the licensing of a third mobile operator is forecast. Ronan Shields takes a closer look at these two countries unconventional mobile markets.

For some years now the GSM Association has been driving forward the case for expanding accessibility of telecoms services to the most underdeveloped parts of the world. In order for any industry body to work it requires support from commercial entities, and this is what the GSM Association's Development Fund has been able to initiate.

The year ahead offers operators in the region opportunities for greenfield investment, though interested parties should be weary of the scarcity premium that many of the concessions are likely to attract. CommsMEA flags up a number of the significant licence awards in the region scheduled to take place over the next 12 months.

MTN holds a 49% stake in MTN Irancell, and is its sole financial investor

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