EGYPT’S Orascom Telecom is emerging as a significant regional player as it buys up mobile phone licenses in Africa, the Middle East and Pakistan. Analysts with Cairo-based EFG-Hermes and London-based HSBC are bullish on OT’s long-term prospects, saying it has positioned itself well to profit from surging growth in mobile phone use in countries lacking fixed line networks. In a shopping spree that began two years ago, Orascom now has licenses and joint ventures spanning 20 countries and serving 2.1 million subscribers, who have jumped 125% in the last year. In the past month, Orascom consolidated its position in cellular operators in Egypt, Jordan, and Pakistan – its biggest revenue earners – by buying out Motorola’s stakes. – AFP