Qatar’s Qtel eyeing stake in Maroc Telecom-paper

Qatar Telecom, the telecoms group controlled by Qatar, has expressed interest in Vivendi’s controlling stake in Maroc Telecom, Morocco’s largest telecoms operator, as part of the French media group’s strategic review, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

QTel is preparing itself to make a bid for a 53 percent stake in Maroc Telecom but it faces competition from Etisalat, the United Arab Emirates-based telecoms company, the paper said, citing two sources close to the matter.

Earlier this month, Vivendi asked Credit Agricole and Lazard to gauge appetite the 53 percent stake in Maroc Telecom without giving them a formal mandate for the sale, sources familiar with the matter had told Reuters.