Mergers Accelerate as Telecoms Seek Growth

A multibillion-dollar telecommunications merger was announced Thursday, reflecting a trend for mobile phone operators to consolidate in their own crowded backyards while they scout for growth in emerging economies. Operators around the globe are looking increasingly to the world’s last relatively untapped mobile markets in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Sales momentum has slowed as cellphone penetration, or the number of phones in relation to the population, has approached or exceeded 100 percent in many European markets. As Western markets have matured, the pace of acquisitions involving emerging market operators has accelerated.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/business/worldbusiness/06tele.html?ref...
(requires registration)