Qatar Telecom (Qtel) will increase its stake in Tunisian mobile operator Tunisiana beyond the 75 percent it currently holds, its director Abdullah Al Thani said on Tuesday.  

Half of Tunisiana, the only private telecommunications company in the North African country of 10 million, is owned directly by Qatar Telecom (Qtel). The other half was owned by a consortium that was split 50-50 between it and two local businessmen close to the old regime, until the Tunisian government seized their stake.

The two minority stakeholders were the son-in-law of former president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, who was ousted in January and now faces trial in absentia for various alleged crimes, and another businessman linked to the Ben Ali family.

Al Thani said in January that Tunisiana planned to list its shares on the Tunis stock exchange in the first half of 2011, though those plans appear delayed, after Tunisia's political turmoil earlier this year disrupted the investment climate. -Reuters