Trowers & Hamlins

Trowers & Hamlins the international law firm have advised Qtel, Qatar’s leading telecoms provider, on the US $3.8 billion acquisition, which has just completed, of a 51% stake in Kuwait’s second mobile telecoms operator Wataniya (also known as the National Mobile Telecommunications Company of Kuwait).

Trowers & Hamlins also advised Qtel on the $635m acquisition of stakes in an Indonesian and a Singaporean mobile telecoms operator which completed earlier this year.

Abdullah Mutawi, Head of International Telecoms at Trowers & Hamlins, says the Wataniya deal is a transformational one for Qtel taking them from two million subscriber telecoms operator in two countries to 12 million subscribers and operations in nine countries.

The Wataniya deal also incorporated two non-Wataniya-owned stakes in Iraqi and Algerian operators forming part of the Watanaiya Group.

The acquisition is the largest ever transaction of shares in a KSE listed company and is the second record breaking telecoms deal that Trowers & Hamlins’ has scooped this year. Both deals were led by partner Abdullah Mutawi who is the head of the firm's new International Telecoms Team.

In January Trowers & Hamlins advised Cable & Wireless on the US $506m sale of their stake in Batelco the Bahraini telecoms company. The Batelco deal was also the largest ever transaction of shares in a Bahraini listed company and the country’s largest ever telecommunications transaction.

Qtel currently operates or has key strategic mobile investments in Qatar, Oman, Singapore and Indonesia and is one of Qtar’s largest publicly listed companies.

Comments Abdullah Mutawi: “Helping to complete this deal for Qtel is a proud moment for us. It marks a new milestone in the development of our international telecoms practice and, of course, propels Qtel into a whole new league.”

Abdullah Mutawi was assisted by senior corporate finance associate Patrice Michaud, also based in the firm’s Bahrain office.

Other projects the Trowers & Hamlins’ Telecoms Team has advised on include:
• Advising Qtel on its bid for the 3rd mobile licence in Egypt
• Advising Cable and Wireless plc on its US $560m disposal of a 20% stake in Bahrain Telecommunications B.S.C (Batelco) - the biggest ever telecoms deal in Bahrain
• Advising ATCO Clearwire Telecom on bids for national fixed services and national fixed wireless services licences in both Saudi Arabia and Bahrain