Orange, the French telecommunications company, announced on Tuesday that its subsidiary Orange Côte d’Ivoire had bought Cellcom Telecommunications’ Liberian unit for an undisclosed sum. Orange said the acquisition was in line with the company’s strategy to enter new emerging markets with high potential, particularly in Africa, which is a strategic priority for the group.
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The takeover will, according to Orange, give it ownership of the largest mobile operators and enlarge its footprint in the Francophone region.Liberia has more than 4.3 million inhabitants, with a mobile penetration of 66 percent, which is lower than neighbouring countries.Cellcom Liberia has 1.3 million mobile customers and a market share of about 45%, just ahead of Lonestar Cell MTN.
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Orange, which has operations in 28 countries, has a customer base of 263 million customers worldwide and listings in Paris and New York.
