NTT DoCoMo is interested in buying Cambodian wireless operator Mobitel, according to a top executive.
The company will consider acquiring Mobitel – a subsidiary of Luxembourg-based operator Millicom – but must first consider other potential investments, as well as the political and economic risks of a Cambodian venture, a DoCoMo SVP toldReuters.
Mobitel has been operating a GSM network in Cambodia since November 1996, according to GSMWorld, and has around 2.12 million subscribers. It is valued at “several hundred million dollars,” Reuters said.
DoCoMo has a long-stated goal of boosting its overseas revenue to 10% of sales (around $1.1 billion) within the next four or five years, and hopes to do so through a series of strategic mergers – mostly within Asia.
DoCoMo already holds minor stakes in Tata Teleservices, Axiata Bangladesh and Malaysian operator U-Mobile.
The company is also chasing potential investments in Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Sri Lanka, Oceania and the Middle East.
But in some Asian markets, DoCoMo will wait until regulatory regimes are relaxed before pursuing investments, the executive said.