Telecom Italia (TIM) said it will begin official discussions with KKR nearly four months after the US investment firm made a non-binding offer of $11.8 billion for the business. TIM said it has invited its CEO and chairman to speak with KKR to learn more about its prospective proposal after an almost six-hour board meeting on Sunday. TIM noted in a statement that its board of directors had directed CEO PietroLabriola and chairman Salvatore Rossi to conduct formal conversations with KKR in addition to those already held by its advisers in order to maximize shareholder value in respect to other potential interested parties. The release went on to say that the goal was to get information on the financial and industrial appeal and execution of KKR’s offer, as well as to define the length and breadth of the applicable confirmatory due diligence sought by the fund prior to a…
The Italian telecoms operator TIM is evaluating the US investment group’s KKR expression of interest in acquiring the full capital stake of the company, a potential 11 billion euro transaction. The proposal was lodged by the US investment fund at a price of €0.505 per share, a 45.7 percent premium over the share’s closing price on Friday. TIM described KKR’s expression of interest as “friendly,” with the goal of securing approval from TIM’s board and management. Telecom Italia said its board of directors met and addressed the fund’s interest in initiating a prospective public tender, which is subject to a four-week period of due diligence and clearance from the Italian government, that has veto power over the group’s purchase. Although TIM is a private corporation, because it is considered a strategic asset for Italy, the Italian government has the right to decline any purchase that it believes would…
Spain’s leading telecommunications group, Telefónica, has announced the sale of a controlling stake in its fiber network in Colombia to a global investment company KKR. With the sale of this majority stake, the telecommunications company expects to reduce its debt by $169 million. As part of the agreement, KKR will hold 60% of the shares in the new Colombian fiber company, and Telefónica will retain the remaining 40% and contribute its existing fiber assets in the country. The new company will start operating with a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network, covering 1.2 million locations in 50 cities and municipalities and serving 380,000 customers by the end of the first quarter 2022. In three years, their goal is to reach 4.3 million sites in almost 90 cities. The deal between Telefónica and KKR values the new company at $500 million. This entity will be the first independent Colombian open access wholesale…