France Telecom makes bid for Kurdish telecom operator

Kurdish mobile operator Korek has received a $1.6bn offer from France Telecom's Orange for a 51% controlling stake in the company, Meed has reported, citing sources close to the deal. Korek is the smallest of the three mobile operators in Iraq with around three million subscribers. France Telecom will withdraw its bid for Iraq's fourth mobile licence if the deal goes ahead, the sources said.