The largest mobile telecommunications network company in the world, Vodafone Group, has expressed its desire to operate in the Nigerian telecoms terrain.



Vodafone, with its headquarters in Berkshire, England, UK has a market value of about £75 billion. It currently has operations in 25 countries and partner networks in a further 42 countries.



Speaking at a conference in Barcelona, Spain, the Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone, Mr. Vittorio Colao, who described Nigeria as an emerging telecoms market, said the firm was still interested in investing in the country's telecoms sector.



Vodafone's renewed interest is coming as it beat off Nigeria's Globacom's attempt in acquiring the majority shares of Telkom in Vodacom, South Africa.



Colao said: "Despite the fact that Vodafone has expanded its operations tremendously across emerging markets in the past two years with acquisitions in Turkey, India, South Africa and Ghana to make up for slower growth in Europe, the Nigeria telecoms sector is a prized and valuable market that we will be glad to operate in."



Commenting on purchases to expand Vodafone's business in established markets, Colao said he was "supportive of potential opportunities" which help create value for shareholders and cut costs.



Vodacom had spurned the Nigerian telecoms market a few months after the introduction of flourishing GSM into the country.



The former CEO of Vodacom, Alan Knott Criag, had in an interview with journalists said the company had regretted walking out of the Nigerian telecoms market.



The Nigerian market had since beaten all projections and turned out to be the largest in Africa with over 57 million subscribers.



In November 2005, Vodafone announced that it was in exclusive talks to buy a 15 per cent stake of VenFin in Vodacom Group, reaching agreement the following day. Vodafone and Telkom then had a 50 per cent stake each in Vodacom.



On October 9, 2008, the company offered to acquire an additional 15 per cent stake in Vodacom group from Telkom.



The finalised detail of the agreement was announced on November 6, 2008. The agreement calls for Telkom to sell a 15 of it 50 percent stake in Vodacom to the group, and the other 35 percent to its shareholder.



Meanwhile, Vodafone has agreed to make Vodacom its exclusive sub-Saharan Africa investment vehicle.



Nigeria's Second National Carrier, Globacom, Africa's fastest growing telecommunications network, had in August expressed interest in Telkom's assets in Vodacom, but was not successful.



If Globacom's attempt had succeeded, it would have created the biggest and largest telecoms brand that would be known as Vod Glo.


Glo, which had to do battle with Vodafone for Telkom's shares in Vodacom, was said to have lost because Vodafone is a part-owner of Vodacom and had stopped Globacom's bid.
souce?click

Yeye peole.Make dem continue to dey eye and not take concrete action.Mtn was no where near vodacom in terms of subscribers base in subsaharan africa but because of their investment and entry into the Nigerian telecom sector alone,they have long overtaken vodacom.

All these one na story and playing to the gallery jare,Etisalat came into the Nigerian telecom sector without making too much noise and drama so they should do the same.

Imagine!! Vodacom is among the companies that discriminate Nigeria. I personally will make sure they don't enter the Nigerian market. It will be shameful of them to lick back their spittle. They earlier refused coming to Nigeria only to show interest now that other telecom companies had tilled the soil and taken the risks. Shame to them. Naija will stand!!!

Let them bring it on, maybe we'll get to have contract lines with free smartphones

Wetin dey do dis people sef, dem don see say other telecoms operators don prepare the cake already and dem wan just get their own share of the cake.

Na REAL CRAZE dey worry dem, Bleep up.

Dem think say naija na place where anybody fit dump.