The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced that the country’s second national operator (SNO) Globacom could be disqualified from bidding for a 51% stake in incumbent telco Nitel as it is already a national operator in the country. Globacom expressed an interest in acquiring the stake earlier this week but the regulator said that awarding it a stake in Nitel would hinder competition. It wants instead to award the interest to a newcomer. Telkom South Africa and 19 other investors have expressed an interest in the 51% stake, which also includes 100% of Nitel’s mobile subsidiary, Mtel.