Alfa Offers Telenor An Olive Branch?

According to Telenor, Russia’s Alfa Group has suggested combining the telecom assets of Alfa and Telenor in emerging markets. Telenor representatives said they would consider consider Alfa’s proposals only if Alfa changes its behavior in Ukraine and Russia. This latest offer comes after the failure of Alfa’s plan to merge Vimpelcom and Kyivstar, in which Alfa and Telenor are the main investors. Telenor also has stakes in telecom operators in Montenegro, Hungary, Malaysia and Bangladesh. Alfa has interests in other Russian and Ukrainian operators and in operators in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkey. Concorde Capital: It looks like Alfa has grown weary of its fight with Telenor in the Russian and Ukrainian telecom markets. However, it is highly unlikely Telenor will agree to become Alfa’s partner: the Norwegian company has too many negative experiences from other partnerships.