The deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, will turn Liquid Telecom in the “largest pan-African broadband network” across 12 countries with “40,000kms of cross-border, metro and access fibre networks,” the group said in a statement.
This deal will give Liquid Telecoms, which already has a South African operation, a much larger presence in the country. It already operates in Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia, Zimbabwe and the UK. Liquid Telecom’s majority owner Econet is an African success story, which was founded by controversial Zimbabwean businessman Strive Masiyiwa.
To meet South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment regulations, investment group Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH) will take a 30% equity stake in Neotel.
Neotel is currently majority owned by India’s Tata Communications, which saw it shares surge after the deal was announced.
Vodacom, the South African subsidiary of UK-listed Vodafone , withdrew from an R7-billion offer to buy Neotel in March, citing delays and frustration at the regulator and competition authorities slow pace in approving the offer, which was first made in May 2014.
“We are excited about this transaction. Leveraging the strengths of Liquid Telecom, RBH and Neotel, we will offer an unprecedented fibre network with a unique set of services and international connectivity for telecom operators and enterprises across sub-Saharan Africa,” Liquid Telecom CEO Nic Rudnick said in a statement.
Forbes