Qatar Telecom chief mulls Maroc buy

Qatar Telecom’s chief executive says the firm is considering an acquisition of North African telco Maroc Telecom, which is owned by French media giant Vivendi.
 
Nasser Marafih said the African operator ticks many boxes in terms of fitting in with his firm’s goals, but noted he would not commit to paying more than Maroc is worth to achieve those synergies, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal at the Mobile World Congress.
 
Vivendi is reportedly ready to open the door to a sale of Maroc Telecom in the coming weeks, the Journal reports. Other potential bidders include Korea Telecom, Etisalat, and France Telecom.
 
Maroc Telecom’s net income slipped 17.4% year-on-year to 6.7 billion Dirhams (€602 million) in 2012, following a 3.2% decline in revenues and a 1.7% fall in EBITDA.