China Telecom plays down Africa talk

China Telecom has denied speculation that it is seeking to acquire the South Africa-based pan-African mobile operator MTN. A spokesperson for China’s largest wireline operator told Reuters: ‘We wish to deny the news report of China Telecom buying MTN.’ A South African newspaper reported the link earlier this week. It is thought that China Telecom has already tried and failed with one bid this year for an international cellco, Millicom. MTN Group’s operations include cellcos in South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire, Botswana, Rwanda, Swaziland, Congo and Zambia. It is also the sole shareholder in Lebanon-based Investcom, which has mobile operations across the Middle East and Africa.