Four bidders contest for 75 per cent stake in Zamtel

All four companies and consortia that submitted first round bids on December 23, 2009, for a 75 per cent stake in Zambia’s Zamtel, have successfully proceeded to the second round of bidding. The bidders are Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) of India, LAP Greencom Ltd/LAP Green Networks of Libya, Unitel/Angola Cables of Angola and Altimo Holdings/VimpelCom of Russia.

State-owned Zamtel is the fixed line incumbent and also owns mobile operator Cell-Z and Internet service provider Zamtel Online.

The Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) board held a meeting on January 11, 2010 and approved the recommended shortlist, after a detailed analysis conducted by an evaluation committee.

“The bids submitted were compelling, and set the stage for an exciting next phase,” stated Muhabi Lungu, acting director general of the ZDA.

The four bidders are now invited to participate in the next round of bidding, which is expected to commence this week. Shortlisted bidders will be given details of the requirements and timing for the next phase of the process.

Zamtel is the third-placed mobile operator in Zambia after Zain and MTN, counting around 200,000 subscribers at the beginning of 2009.

Related stories:

Russia’s Altimo scrapes into race for Zamtel with late bid