Etisalat Withdraws Zain Bid

Etisalat, the UAE's leading integrated telecoms services provider, said on March 20 2011 that it is dropping six month long, US$12bn bid to acquire a 46% stake in Kuwait-based Zain Group. This news will not come as a surprise to many observers considering the series of unexplained delays that dogged the process and the seeming lack of harmony among the shareholders of both companies regarding the deal. BMI examines the implications of the failed deal for Etisalat and Zain, and the future of consolidation in the Middle Eastern telecoms markets.

To read the full article, please choose one of the following options: