India's Bharti Airtel Ltd., Reliance Communications Ltd. and the Tata Group are bidding for 51 percent in state-owned Telkom Kenya, the Economic Times and Business Standard said on Wednesday.
Representatives of the Indian companies are in Nairobi to participate in a bidders' conference, the Economic Times newspaper said, citing unnamed sources.
A spokesman for Bharti, India's top mobile services operator, said the company was interested in international opportunities but would not comment on speculation.
A spokesmen for Reliance Communications, the No. 2 operator, did not immediately return a call.
A spokesman for Tata's Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. said Africa had been identified as an important market.
“The company already has a presence in South Africa and continues to evaluate further opportunities in Africa,” he said.
The Tata group has a growing presence in Africa through its automobiles, engineering and communications businesses. VSNL owns a stake in Neotel, South Africa's second national fixed-line phone operator.
Kenya last month nearly doubled the Telkom Kenya stake on offer to 51 percent. The successful bidder will get a controlling stake but will have to sell off 11 percent in an initial public offering on the Nairobi Stock Exchange.
Telkom Kenya will open technical proposals from interested investors on Oct. 30 and financial proposals on Nov. 8.
Source: Reuters