The incumbent telecom operator, SOTELMA was privatized in 2009, when a 51% stake was sold to Maroc Telecom. Orange Mali is 70% owned by Orange France managed through its subsidiary Sonatel, an operator in neighboring Senegal. Orange has been aggressive in terms of expanding the network, partly because it has direct access to submarine cable via Senegal. Despite a duopoly and Orange's high market share, the mobile market has grown tremendously with ongoing promotions and steadily falling prices.