France's Orange aims to add Belgian fixed line through VOO deal
PARIS :Orange, France's largest telecoms operator, set out a shift into Belgium's fixed line business on Tuesday, with plans to buy a majority stake in VOO SA in a deal valuing the firm at 1.8 billion euros (US$2 billion).
The move illustrates Orange's strategy of being able to
deliver 'convergent offers' in both broadband and mobile to customers in all
European countries where it operates and follows a surge in interest in
telecoms dealmaking.
The broader sector is seeing an increase in potential
M&A, with KKR approaching Telecom Italia about what would be Europe's
biggest ever private equity buyout.
Orange Belgium, its listed Belgian subsidiary, owns its
cellular network but has costly contracts with rivals in order to offer
broadband services on top of mobile contracts.
The planned purchase of 75per cent of VOO would give Orange
control over the cable network in Belgium's French speaking Wallonia region and
part of the Brussels area.
The exclusive talks with VOO's parent company Nethys are a
blow to Orange Belgium's local rival Telenet, which acknowledged it had not
been selected to enter into talks.
"A potential acquisition of VOO by Orange Belgium could
reshape the Belgian telco landscape making the former mobile-only operator a
worthy adversary for the two leaders in the fixed and convergent market,"
KBC Securities said in a note to clients.
The potential Belgian deal comes after Orange's seizing of a
controlling stake in Telekom Romania Communications, Romania's second-biggest
broadband operator, last year.
Orange Belgium said in a statement it would finance the
potential deal by increasing its debt, with the support of its French parent
company.
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