4 September 2006 - Gide Loyrette Nouel announces a new record with the award of a third telecommunications licence in Mauritania for more than US$ 100 million:

Gide Loyrette Nouel advised the Mauritanian government on a new phase in the deregulation of the country's telecommunications market. This involved the award of telecommunications licences in an original form dividing the right to provide services into four lots, to open up the sector to a new mobile service operator (lot 1), on the international fixed line and prepaid phone card segment (lot 2), local loop and Internet access (lot 3) and global licence complementary services, including 3G (lot 4).

Sudatel, the Sudanese operator was the grand winner of all of the prizes in this competition. It was awarded all four lots for a little more than US$ 100 million.

Given its limited population (3 million) and its average income per capita of less than US$ 600, this is a world record for this country given over almost entirely to desert but whose future oil revenues are whetting investor appetites.

The care taken by Gide Loyrette Nouel in drafting the tender regulations and in dividing telecommunications services into four lots proved to be a key element in the success of the operation. The Firm found the perfect balance between investor expectations and Mauritanian regulatory authority (ARE) requirements for territorial cover and service quality.

Rémy Fekete, the partner in charge of the Firm's "International Telecommunications" business expressed his satisfaction, saying that "for Mauritania, this new symbol of success demonstrates investor confidence in the country's future which should provide greater impetus to telecommunications and information technology development".

Gide Loyrette Nouel has developed far-reaching telecommunications expertise and experience. The Firm has therefore been able to bring telecommunications transactions in more than twenty countries to a successful conclusion. It routinely advises service operators and national authorities.

Gide Loyrette Nouel is currently assisting with several large-scale transactions, including the award of new telecommunications licences in Saudi Arabia.