Abu Dhabi-Bertelsmann venture targets Asia, Africa

By Stanley Carvalho

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi Group said on Sunday it was pushing into telecoms and media markets in Asia and Africa armed with content from Germany's Bertelsmann, including the music of Elvis Presley and Christina Aguilera.

The holding company, owned by a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi emirate, bought 50 percent of Bertelsmann's Middle East mobile phone affiliate Arvato Middle East Sales last month. Abu Dhabi is the world's sixth-largest oil exporter.

Bertelsmann content, including songs by artists such as Christina Aguilera, Bob Dylan, Celine Dion and Elvis Presley is key to Abu Dhabi Group's strategy, Chief Executive Bashir Tahir said.

"We plan to not only tap the telecoms market but also the digital media services market especially in areas of mobile and PC entertainment," he told Reuters in an interview.

The music catalogue of Bertelsmann's Sony BMG Music Entertainment joint venture will be packaged into the first wave of expansion, followed by books from Bertelsmann's Random House, publisher of John Grisham and Danielle Steel, he said.

"We have the rights for the Middle East, the sub continent, Africa and the Far East and we plan to launch services by the end of this year," Tahir said.

Abu Dhabi Group -- which has investments in banking, construction, real estate and manufacturing -- entered Pakistan's telecom market in 2005 through Warid Telecom, and now has 11.5 million customers, Tahir said.

Warid plans to spend $800 million by 2009 to expand the network as it seeks to become the second-largest operator in Asia's fourth most-populous country, he added.