Pipex - Wimax - the next telecoms revolution

Vodafone among 8 firms interested in PT's copper or cable networks - report


LISBON (AFX) - Vodafone Group and seven other companies have expressed an
interest in buying the copper or cable networks of Portugal Telecom SGPS if the
incumbent operator is taken over by SonaeCom SGPS, Publico newspaper reported.
The others include Grupo SGS and Radiomovel plus venture capital funds
Apollo, BC Partners, Silver Lake and Liberty Global, according to the report.
The Competition Authority has ordered SonaeCom to sell off one or other of
PT's networks if the alternative elecoms provider succeeds with its 13.9 bln eur
bid for the PT group.
Publico said the eight companies showed their interest in responses to the
AdC's enquiries about potential buyers for the networks.
Some wished to buy a network jointly and others wanted partners. Some, such
as Silver Lake, were only interested in the cable business, the report said.
Jornal de Negocios said Portugal's post office company CTT, Fundacao
Berardo, Grupo Media Capital at British Telecom told the AdC they are interested
in launching an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) in Portugal if the
SonaeCom/PT merger goes through.
Expressions of interest in an MVNO were also made by Onitelecom, Radiomovel,
Tele2, Grupo SGC, BC Partners, Babcock & Brown and Silver Lake, the business
daily said.
CTT said it was "developing preliminary studies of the economic viability of
creating an MVNO in Portugal.
If SonaeCom acquires PT, it will merge its Optimus mobile phone network with
PT's TMN, leaving Vodafone as the only rival network operator in the country.

equitynext@afxnews.com