VSNL, which was in the race to acquire a 26 per cent stake in South Africa’s Infraco, has now been denied permission to acquire the stake.

VSNL, which was in the race to acquire a 26 per cent stake in South Africa’s Infraco, has now been denied permission to acquire the stake. The balance stake was to be held by the South African government. However, the South African government has now decided to make Infraco a state-owned company and lower telephony charges. Infraco will be the third network operator in South Africa offering long distance services. VSNL already has a 26 per cent stake in the South Africa’s Second Network Operator Telecom and has started rolling out services in the country.