RCS&RDS (Digi) has agreed to buy Romania’s largest independent cable operator AKTA (Digital Cable Systems – DCS) in what has been described as a “complex transaction”.
Romania Insider reports it will see Digi, which is the leading provider of cable and fixed-line internet services in the country, use the networks owned by DCS and another smaller player (ATTP Telecommunications) for a period of three years, paying rent of up to €77 million.
During this time, it will provide internet, cable, fixed and mobile services to around 540,000 clients. In the case of ATTP, it will also take over the company’s infrastructure and clients providing it fulfils several conditions.
The deal still has to be approved by Romania’s Competition Council.
DCS is majority owned by the Asian investment fund Pinebridge and Clever Media, which is part of Romania’s Look TV.
Broadband TV News notes that in March this year Digi issued a statement in response to press reports. In it the company said that it had entered into an asset purchase agreement with ATTP to acquire “certain infrastructure components and a limited portfolio of subscribers” in several localities in Romania. These assets were previously owned by AKTA.
It also stressed that this was not a transaction between RCS&RDS (Digi) and the companies in the AKTA/DCS group, as had been erroneously reported.
