London, 23 February 2012 - Telecom operators from the Middle East are meeting with sector heads from leading investment banks in London on March 14at a TMT M&A Forum assessing the returning appetite for mergers and acquisitions across global markets.

Daniel Ritz, Chief Strategy Officer of Etisalat Group, the UAE headquartered operator with operations in 18 countries, is among the speakers at the TMT M&A Forum, which gathers key industry players and advisers to assess investment opportunities and strategies. Also featured arespeakersrepresentingBatelco, Telenor, BT, Saudi Telecom, Vivendi, and regional heads of telecoms from leading investmentbanks including Goldman Sachs, Citi, Macquarie and UBS.

"Telecoms M&A activity is increasing and it is significant that major operators such as

Etisalat are discussing acquisitions again," said Dominic Lowndes, Editor of TMT Finance News. "Etisalat is keen to enter Libya, and it has made several moves lately that potentially increase the overall company's capacity for expansion, including restructuring of operations through outsourcing and sale and leaseback deals, raising US$2 billion of debt and announcing their exit from India."

"Several other telecom operators are also pursuing acquisitions, with Telenor increasing its stake in Vimplecom, which could lead to more investment, France Telecom acquiringMobinil in Egypt, and Batelco, Sistema and TeliaSonera also linked to deals," added Lowndes. "We are also seeing arealignment of portfolios in Europe, along with growing demandforinvestment in new technology and 4G licences, as the industry entersan exciting stage of transition."

The TMT M&A Forum (www.tmtfinance.com/merger) gathers leading industry executivesincluding CEOs, CSOs, CFOs and Heads of M&A, with investment bankers, private equity investors and specialist advisers to assess how transactions will drive change in telecoms, technology and media globally. The programme comprises a series of panel discussions, keynote speeches and dedicated networking time.

Key sessions at this year's event include the Global Telecom Strategy Round Table; The Race for Spectrum; M&A Advisers Panel;Infrastructure Ownership - Releasing value from towers and other assets; Investing in the Next Wave - What are the critical new technology opportunitiesæ Controlling the customer interface; and How social media networks can boost profits for telecom operators.

For further details on programme timings go to www.tmtfinance.com/merger/programme
To find out more contact: enquiries@tmtfinance.com