Niger government seeks buyer for Sonitel and SahelCom

The government of Niger said it is seeking a new buyer for state telecommunications company Sonitel and its mobile arm SahelCom, after the sale to Libyan company LAP Green fell through because of UN sanctions against Libya, Reuters reported. Communications Minister Salifou Labo Bouche told private television channel Tenere that the government is going to launch an international invitation to tender, said the news agency. He said the purchaser could be either a new entrant or a company already active in the Nigerien market, which has about 2.5 million mobile subscribers. Sonitel and SahelCom have 30,000 fixed line subscribers and 300,000 mobile customers, company management told Reuters, but there was no information regarding revenues. The other players in Niger are Bharti Airtel, Atlantique Telecom's Moov and France Telecom. Niger sold 51 percent of Sonitel and SahelCom to LAP Green for CFA 31 billion (USD 67.9 million) in January, but the deal fell through because of the UN sanctions against the government of Muammar Gaddafi.