Mumbai: Tata Communications has agreed to acquire an additional 30 per cent in South African telecom firm Neotel, raising its stake to 56 per cent from the current 26 per cent.

Tata Communications along with Tata Africa Holdings will make the acquisition from state-owned enterprises, Eskom and Transnet, Tata Communications said  in a notice issued to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

The company, however, did not disclose the value of the acquisition.

Tata Africa Holdings, the investment arm of the Tata Group in South Africa, has operations in eight countries in the continent. The agreement, however, is subject to certain conditions to be fulfilled over a six-month period.

The acquisition will enable Tata Communications to offer its full global suite of products, including solutions for voice and data connectivity, managed security services, among others, the company said.

Neotel, which had planned infrastructure investments of Rand 11 billion, had problems with state-owned entities and expects the situation to improve with the exit of Eskom and Transnet.

Neotel's other shareholders include the black empowerment group Nexus, CommuniTel and Two Telecom Consortium.

Nexus has a 19 per cent stake in Neotel while CommuniTel and Two Telecom Consortium have stakes of 12.5 per cent each.

Tata Communications is expected to finalise the buyout details this week.

Tata Communications, which had earlier announced a joint venture with a value-added services telecom company in China for network services, is looking for similar tie-ups in Asia and West Asia to boost growth.

South Africa and West Asia will comprise almost 16 per cent of the total global telecom market by 2010, closely following the emerging markets of China and India.

With offices in more than 40 countries, Tata Communications runs a world-class telecoms network. Investment in Neotel will give it a strong anchor for building an African footprint, the company said.