In a surprising turn of events, Vodafone has once again declined an enhanced merger proposal from Iliad for its Italian operations, despite the latter’s efforts to sweeten the deal. Iliad had revised its initial offer, made two years ago, in December, proposing a 50:50 joint venture that valued Vodafone Italia at €10.45 billion. This arrangement would have netted Vodafone €6.5 billion in cash and a €2 billion shareholder loan, with additional cash influx opportunities through a buyout option.
In a groundbreaking move, Iliad and Vodafone are set to join forces in a strategic merger that has gained unanimous support from Iliad’s board of directors and its primary shareholder, Xavier Niel. The proposal aims to amalgamate Iliad’s ‘innovative approach to connectivity, affordability, and digital inclusivity’ with Vodafone’s expertise in the business-to-business (B2B) sector.
Iliad, the French telecom operator, steps up to redefine Europe’s AI landscape, unveiling a Nvidia DGX SuperPOD, the first in Europe. Aimed for their Cloud division, Scaleway, it aims to accelerate AI services for businesses while securing a technological edge. Yet, questions on ROI and sustainability lurk amidst innovation.
The France-based Iliad Group has carved a unique path in the European telecommunications landscape, touting its “Iliad way” as the driving force behind its outperformance in the three key markets of France, Italy, and Poland. Iliad reported impressive group organic revenue growth, with France contributing 7.7%, Italy 12.2%, and Poland 5.6% for the first half of 2023.
In just five years, Iliad has amassed over 10 million mobile customers in Italy, boasting a 99% satisfaction rate and making waves in the market. Offering transparent pricing and driving down costs, the telecom giant’s innovative approach is challenging traditional operators as convergence looms.
Vodafone and Iliad are in negotiations to merge their respective businesses in Italy. Such a merger would provide advantages for both corporations in one of Europe’s most competitive markets and should be positive for the industry in general. Discussions between the two corporations are ongoing, and both sides are actively looking for ways to connect their separate businesses together in Italy. If the merger is approved, it will create a telecommunications giant with over 36% mobile market penetration and combined sales of nearly $6.80 billion. Vodafone and The Iliad both declined to comment on the negotiations. The talks take place as the local incumbent, Telecom Italia, continues to evaluate a $12.25 billion acquisition offer from US investor KKR aimed at taking Italy’s largest phone business private. Industry leaders have frequently recommended the pursuit of four-to-three telecom mergers, which may generate cost synergies and boost margins by reducing…
Telecom Italia (TIM) has inked a deal with the Italian branch of Xavier Niel’s Iliad to co-invest in TIM’s last-mile grid firm FiberCop in order to accelerate the deployment of fiber broadband lines in Italy. Under the terms of the agreement with TIM, Iliad will co-invest in FiberCop to assist in the development of the network that connects street cabinets to people’s houses. Iliad will receive access to Telecom Italia’s core fiber network, allowing it to provide ultrafast fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connections to clients. According to TIM, the agreement validated FiberCop’s investment strategy, which aims to link 75 percent of Italy’s so-called grey and black zones, including cities and industrial districts, with FTTH connections at speeds of more than 1 gigabyte per second by 2025. The agreement’s financial terms were not disclosed. According to analysts, the FiberCop agreement might help TIM counter some of the heightened competitive pressure…
The French telecommunications provider Iliad, that provides fixed and mobile telephony services, prepaid phone cards, Internet access and hosting services, has signed a new $356 million loan deal with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to help the Iliad Group finance its mobile network deployment in France, in particular to consolidate its 4G network and deploy its 5G network. Since 2009, the EIB has financed Iliad, and with this new loan the total financing exceeds $1.3 billion. Having helped finance the development of the Iliad fixed network for more than a decade, the EIB is once again working with the group to provide financial support for the company’s latest generation of mobile networks. There was little information on what exactly the latest loan would be used for, but Iliad said it is devoted to providing digital coverage to the whole of France, including most rural areas. Ambroise Fayolle, Vice-President…
French telecommunications service provider Iliad S.A. has agreed to buy the Polish telecommunications company Play Communications S.A. for $2.6 billion as it expands across Europe. The deal will make Iliad the sixth largest mobile operator in Europe. In an announcement on Monday, the companies revealed that Iliad had offered $10.35 per share for Play and received binding commitments from two controlling shareholders for a 40% stake, which would give it the majority of seats on Play’s board of directors. Iliad also hopes that the deal will allow the company to enter the growing Polish telecommunications market and boost Play’s growth in the mobile sector. With the addition of Play, Iliad will have 41 million subscribers in France, Poland and Italy. However, the transaction still needs to be approved by the relevant regulatory authorities, and a notification of the proposed acquisition has to be submitted to the European Commission.…
In an evocative change for the telecom industry, French magnate Xavier Niel is looking to buy Datagroup-Volia, Ukraine’s top fixed telecom and pay TV provider. This big move, in the works through Niel’s NJJ company, comes complete with regulatory approval. The Ukrainian firm is a significant player, controlled primarily by a fund run by Horizon Capital.
