Consortium led by UAE’s Etisalat wins Sudan’s second fixed line service

ABU DHABI, Nov 21 (AFP) — A consortium led by the United Arab Emirates telecoms corporation Etisalat announced Sunday it has won a licence to operate Sudan’s second nationwide fixed line phone service.

Mohammad Omran, Etisalat’s president and chief executive officer.

“Etisalat-led Kanartel made the approved bid at 45 million euros (59 million dollars),” a statement said, adding that operations would begin within a year.

Sudan’s National Telecommunication Commission selected the 40 percent Etisalat-owned Kanartel over two rival consortiums from Egypt and Korea that had also been short-listed.

“The second fixed line licence in Sudan is a huge success for our efforts to roll out our premium services and cutting-edge technology across the Middle East and North Africa region,” said Etisalat president Mohammed Omran.

Etisalat will manage, operate and maintain the Kanartel network, it said, adding that it will see work created for 2,000 employees within a five-year plan.

In August, a consortium led by Etisalat was awarded the second mobile phone licence in Saudi Arabia’s lucrative market.

State-owned Etisalat posted net profits of 465 million dollars in the first six months of this year, up 16 percent on the same period in 2003.