The Franco-British computer services group SEMA GROUP has announced the acquisition, for EUR 4.9 billion, of LHS (turnover $262.6 million in 1999), one of the largest American companies in the sector of client invoicing software for mobile telephony. The merger, which will be carried out via share trading with 2.6 new SEMA GROUP shares for one LHS share, will give rise to the world leader in specialised software in mobile telephony. The current SEMA GROUP shareholders will hold 73% of the capital of the new group and those of LHS 27%. The "mobile phone" activity of the two companies alone will employ 2,600 on 350 sites with sales of over $400 million.