France Telecom SA, Europe's third- largest telephone company, said it's in talks to buy a phone license in Togo in western Africa. The company didn't disclose financial details. The license would give France Telecom the right to operate in the country under its Orange brand.
Togo had an estimated population of about 5.9 million in July, according to the CIA World Factbook. France Telecom said about 25 percent of Togolese have a mobile phone. The company expanded in Kenya and Uganda this year as the former French monopoly seeks faster growth than in its home market.France Telecom last month set up a joint venture in Uganda with Hits Telecom Uganda and plans to invest $200 million in a mobile network there in the next three years. Telkom Kenya Ltd., a joint venture between France Telecom and the Kenyan government, started operations in September.
Photo : Pres Faure Gnassingbé and Didier Lombard, CEO France Telecom/Orange