BC Partners-owned United Group is in the running to buy Telekom Romania’s mobile operation.
Quoting several unnamed sources, Ziarul Financiar reports that Deutsche Telekom and its subsidiary OTE, the current owners, are hoping to sell it for €200 million but the prospective buyers are pushing for a lower price.
It adds that the Bulgarian entrepreneur Spas Roussev, who has connections to Russian businessmen in VTB Capital, was also in the running but broke off the talks following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
However, PPF Group, which is also quoted in the story, has denied that it is holding talks about a possible acquisition. According to Leos Rousek, head of PPF Communications, “PPF Group is not holding talks about nor interested in acquiring the Romanian mobile operator Telekom Romania Mobile Communications S.A”.
Broadband TV News notes that any transaction will mark the end of Deutsche Telekom’s and OTE’s presence in the Romanian electronic communications market.
As previously reported by Broadband TV News, last October Orange completed the acquisition of a controlling 54% stake in the fixed operator Telekom Romania Communications (TKR) from Greece’s OTE.