Orange Said to Explore Purchase of Some Bharti Africa Assets

Orange SA has explored various acquisitions in Africa including assets owned by Bharti Airtel Ltd., as the French company seeks to bolster its business in the region, according to people familiar with the matter.

France’s largest phone company has held on-and-off again discussions with potential partners as it moves ahead with a plan to group its emerging-market operations into a single unit, the people said. No deal is imminent and there are no formal negotiations underway, the people said, asking not to be identified because the deliberations are private.