France Telecom has confirmed that it is considering a possible merger with the Nordic operator TeliaSonera, for sale for 23.67 billion euros. The interest was expressed by Gervais Pellissier, financial director of the French company, to the Financial Times, in an interview where he referred that the possible acquisition was not yet being analyzed in depth.
The same information has now been given in a statement in which the French company informs that the exploitation of the business has already started to be analyzed «although there have not yet started to be talks», as such «there is no decision about it» so far.
Should the acquisition take place, the transaction would give rise to the third largest telecommunications operator operating in Europe. This is because, the stock market capitalization of France Telecom is valued at 54 billion euros while the market value of TeliaSonera is 24 billion euros.
This operation would contribute to accelerate the consolidation of the European telecommunications market, after the announced purchase of the Greek OTE by Deutsche Telekom and the rumors that indicate Telefónica’s interest in Telecom Italia.
The French operator recognizes that the deal guaranteed strategic opportunities for the business as both companies «are complementary groups with a common strategic vision for the sector».
Related News:
2008-01-04 – France Telecom has sold more than 70 thousand iPhones
