TeliaSonera confirms SEK2 billion purchase of MCT

TeliaSonera has purchased MCT Corp, a US-based company with three controlling shareholdings in GSM operators in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and a minority interest in the largest GSM provider in Afghanistan, for an enterprise value of SEK2 billion (USD300 million), the company has confirmed. The deal was announced on 9 July, but the purchase price was not disclosed at the time. The Swedish telco’s acquisition gives it a 99.7% stake in Coscom (the third largest cellco by subscribers 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.