VNI Builds Majority Stake in Vietnamese Telecom Group

March 2, 2011 - PRLog -- Vietnam Infrastructure Limited (VNI) said Wednesday it had increased its stake in Mobile Information Service Joint Stock Company (MIS) which specializes in constructing and leasing mobile telecommunication network towers.

VNI previously acquired a 30 percent stake in MIS in March 2008, but its holding has now reached a majority 75 percent share. VNI is a publicly-traded fund which focuses on infrastructure assets in Vietnam.

MIS has expanded its operations since 2008 from 25 base transceiver station (BTS) towers to 287 such towers, and is in the process of constructing an additional 30 telecommunications towers across Vietnam, according to VNI.

In addition to its new majority holding, VNI will now hold three of the four seats on the MIS Board of Directors.

Demand for telecommunications services, and mobile services, is expected to grow strongly in emerging markets such as Vietnam, especially amid continued economic development.

Some western analysts also note that such markets offer improved growth potential compared to western Europe and/or the United States where many consumers already own mobile phones or use mobile telecommunications services.

"MIS has grown its operations significantly over the past three years, and continues to have strong growth potential," said Tony Hsun, managing director of VNI's investment manager.

VNI said that the number of mobile phone subscribers in Vietnam has grown rapidly to over 155 million as of December 2010, compared with 69 million in 2008.

Author: Paul Chapman, analyst.

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