Tanzania concludes deal to privatise telecom

The Tanzanian government has announced that a consortium led by Deutsche-Telekom of Germany has concluded a deal to buy just over a third of Tanzania's state-owned telephone monopoly.

The deal, worth one-hundred-and twenty million dollars, will allow the group which also includes a Dutch group, Mobile Systems International Cellular to have a four-year exclusive right to provide basic telephone services in Tanzania.

The consortium has promised to build a new cellular network for the country, as well as expanding the number of land-lines by five-hundred per cent. The deal has been submitted to the Tanzanian government for final approval, before documents are signed next month.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service