Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but France Telecom acquired a 51% stake in Lightspeed via its Middle East subsidiary, Jordan Telecom Group.
For many years France Telecom held a 40% stake in Jordan Telecom, and ran the carrier under an existing management deal. In 2006 FT increased its stake in the carrier to 51%.
France Telecom said it would roll out double-play and triple-play services in Bahrain before the end of this summer. This is hardly a hard promise to make, as Lightspeed already specialized in VoIP services, and has previously pledged to offer its residential and business customers a triple-play service later this year.
The Kingdom of Bahrain is one of the smallest countries in the Middle East, with a population of 698,585, including 235,108 non-nationals according to the CIA World Factbook. It has a constitutional hereditary monarchy after it achieved independence from the UK in 1971.
France Telecom has over 12 million clients in the region thanks to its presence in Jordan and Egypt.
