The Vodafone Group and its local partner in Qatar, the Qatar Foundation, will reportedly pay $2.1 billion for Qatar’s second wireless licence.

The Vodafone Group and its local partner in Qatar, the Qatar Foundation, will reportedly pay $2.1 billion for Qatar’s second wireless licence. The shareholding structure of the company will involve a 45 per cent joint holding by Vodafone and Qatar Foundation, 40 per cent by public shareholders through an initial public offering (IPO), and 15 per cent by government/Qatarbased institutions. The IPO is likely to be launched before November 2008. The service is likely to be launched in the first quarter of 2009.