Swedish private equity firm EQT is considering a takeover of Dutch operator KPN, in what would be its largest-ever acquisition, people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg.
EQT is in the early stages of discussing the feasibility of a deal with potential advisers. The company is already present on the Dutch market through the operator Delta Fiber.
KPN is valued at around €9.4 billion on the stock market, or €16 billion including its debt. Its share price has fallen around 15% since the start of the year as the company struggles to turn around a depressed sales performance and stop a loss in customers.
EQT is already the owner of Delta Fiber Netherlands, the second-largest FTTH operator in the Netherlands after KPN. It owns the operators Delta, Caiway and Cbizz and is actively expanding its network across the country.
EQT also has investments in other telecom operators around Europe, such as Deutsche Glasfaser, Melita in Malta and GlobalConnect in Scandinavia.
