The Kazakhstan national competition watchdog has cleared the operator Kazakhtelecom to acquire a 75 percent stake in the mobile operator Kcell, reports Profit.kz. The regulator said the deal could go ahead as Kazakhtelecom's mobile unit Altel was still owned for 50.52 percent by Tele2 Group. The joint venture provides mobile services under both the Altel and Tele2 Kazakhstan brands.
According to some estimates, Kazahktelecom will have 37.5 percent of the national mobile market after the acquisition of Kcell. The regulator found that the concentration won’t affect prices for end-users.
The main shareholders of Kcell, Telia and Turkcell, have yet to confirm the sale. They were early this year reported to have held an auction for their stakes.
