Vivendi backs out of Zain deal

A $10-billion deal by Vivendi to purchase a majority stake in the African telecoms operations of Zain, has broken down, reports Times Online.

Vivendi claims that it called off negotiations after deciding the deal did not fit its investment criteria. The French group's shares went up by more than 4% following the announcement.

Analysts have expressed fears about Vivendi that a large acquisition would put the company further in debt.

Intel has revealed changes in its strategy for Egypt, as part of its drive for IT enablement and growth in the Arab world, says Trade Arabia.

Intel is planning to split Egypt as a standalone sub-territory with Levant and North Africa as another separate sub-territory within the larger Middle East region.

The IT giant says this will help the Intel Egyptian team to extend more dedicated support to local customers and augment the IT footprint in Levant and North Africa.

Zambia is offering unified licences to cater to diverse telecommunications services in a bid to attract international service providers, according to InfoWorld.

The country joins Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and SA to provide one licence for an array of services including Internet and mobile telephony. Several international service providers feared investing in the country because of restrictive licence conditions.

Zambia is looking to boost competition among service providers and to improve 3G services and WiMax.