In an exclusive advancement, Bouygues Telecom, the French telecoms arm of the Bouygues corporation, unveiled its plans to acquire La Poste Telecom. The deal, reported to be worth €950 million, would bring the entirety of La Poste Telecom under the ownership of Bouygues.
Presently, La Poste Group maintains a 51% stake in La Poste Telecom, with the remaining 49% belonging to Bouygues’ competitor, SFR. The transaction, whose estimates have now reached €963.4 million, would alter this balance, making Bouygues the sole owner.
La Poste Telecom, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), contributes about €300 million in annual sales and boasts a customer base of 2.3 million. This customer base will be integrated into Bouygues’ own mobile network when La Poste Telecom’s wholesale agreement with SFR expires at the end of 2026.
A statement from Bouygues confirms that while integrating these new customers will attract costs, it will not necessitate the expansion of its network capacity. With over 23 million mobile customers already, Bouygues Telecom is poised to elevate its integrity and presence in the industry even more through this deal.
Benoît Torloting, CEO of Bouygues Telecom, stated, “Thanks to this agreement, Bouygues Telecom will be able to increase its customer base and strengthen its position in both mobile and fixed services drawing on La Poste’s distribution network throughout the country.”
Yet, this transaction isn’t a one-way street. Torloting highlighted how Bouygues Telecom can enrich the journey of La Poste Mobile. He said, “Bouygues Telecom will bring its expertise and the quality of its fixed and mobile infrastructures to La Poste Mobile, on which La Poste Mobile will be able to draw to continue its development.”
However, this significant shift in the industry landscape still awaits standard regulatory approval. Pending this green light, the deal is expected to be finalized by year-end.
