TeliaSonera to snap up four cellcos

TeliaSonera reports that it has inked a deal to acquire up to 100% of the outstanding shares in MCT Corp, a US-based holding company with controlling stakes in cellcos in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, as well as a minority interest in a mobile operator in Afghanistan. The move will give the Swedish telco a 99.7% stake in Coscom (the third largest cellco by subsribers in Uzbekistan), a 60% share of both Indigo and Somoncom (estimated to be Tajikistan’s second and fifth largest mobile operators) and a 12.25% slice of Telecom Development Company Afghanistan (Roshan), the country’s largest operator by subscribers with over half the market. TeliaSonera says it expects the deal to close during the third quarter of this year. No price for the deal has been announced.