Research and Markets: Burkina Faso - New Telecom Licence Offered in High-Growth Mobile Market

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c4197e/burkina_faso_new) has announced the addition of the "Burkina Faso - New Telecom Licence Offered in High-Growth Mobile Market" report to their offering.

Burkina Faso in West Africa has one of the fastest growing mobile markets in the region with a penetration rate that stands at only about half the African average. The country's telecommunications regulator has now announced an international tender for a combined fixed and mobile network operating licence, including the provision of third generation (3G) mobile services in the country for the first time, which will allow the licensee to enter the lucrative and virtually untapped broadband market. The licence will be valid for a period of ten years, bids are due by 19 October 2010.

The new operator will compete with Onatel, the partly privatised incumbent fixed-line telco which also operates the Telmob GSM mobile network and the country's leading Internet service provider (ISP) FasoNet. The second mobile operator is Zain which was recently taken over by Bharti Airtel of India. Etisalat-owned Moov is the third and smallest mobile network in Burkina Faso.

This Investment Research Note outlines the opportunity but also points at risks associated with the new licence such as declining ARPU, a history of non-transparent bidding processes in the region and difficulties with spectrum allocation and international connectivity. However, the enormous potential in subscriber growth and new services will ensure strong interest in the licence from international bidders.

Brief profiles of the existing market players are presented, including financial results from 2006 to 2010, current pricing of broadband services, recent takeovers and IPOs, and recent valuations of other operating licences in the region which will be helpful to potential bidders for the licence evaluating the opportunity.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Synopsis

2. The opportunity, and risks 2.1 One of the fastest growing mobile markets 2.1.1 Market penetration and growth potential 2.1.2 ARPU 2.2 Broadband, an untapped market 2.2.1 High prices 2.2.2 International connectivity 2.2.3 Limits to broadband growth

3. The competition 3.1 Onatel 3.1.1 Privatisation and IPO 2009 3.2 Zain/Bharti 3.2.1 Takeover by Bharti Airtel in 2010 3.3 Moov 3.3.1 Takeover of full ownership by Etisalat in 2010

4. Recent valuations of other licences in the region 4.1 Ghana 4.2 Benin 4.3 Senegal 4.4 Nigeria 4.5 Niger 4.6 Guinea

5. How to bid for the licence

6. Related reports

List of Tables:

Table 1 ADSL subscribers in Burkina Faso 2005 - 2009 Table 2 FasoNet (Onatel) ADSL pricing August 2010 Table 3 Telmob GPRS/EDGE prepaid and postpaid pricing August 2010 Table 4 Telmob subscribers and ARPU 2007 - 2010 Table 5 Onatel financial results, fixed/Internet vs. mobile 2007 - 2010 Table 6 Zain Burkina Faso subscribers and ARPU 2006 - 2009 Table 7 Zain Burkina Faso financial results and capital expenditure 2006 - 2009

List of Charts:

Chart 1 Mobile market penetration in Burkina Faso and neighbouring markets March 2010 Chart 2 Annual mobile market growth in Burkina Faso and neighbouring markets March 2010 Chart 3 Mobile market share in Burkina Faso early 2010

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c4197e/burkina_faso_new

CONTACT:

Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager,
press@researchandmarkets.com
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

KEYWORDS:   Burkina Faso  Africa

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:   Technology  Telecommunications

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