Os pego articulo de ayer en FT. No puedo poneros el link xq es de pago y no es accesible.
Espero que os ayude
Private equity firms are sizing up offers for Portugal Telecom, in moves that could frustrate plans by France’s Altice to combine with the Portuguese telecoms group.
People familiar with the matter said Apax and Bain Capital were considering bids for Portugal Telecom, which last year merged with Oi, the Brazilian telecoms group. Both private firms declined to comment.
Billionaire Patrick Drahi is also in talks to acquire Portugal Telecom through Altice, his holding company that has concluded a deal this year to buy SFR, the French mobile phone operator.
Altice already owns cable businesses Cabovisao and Oni in Portugal. A purchase of Portugal Telecom would enable it to drive consolidation in the market.
A sale of Portugal Telecom could fetch about €7bn and comes as Oi is looking to reduce its large debt load.
People familiar with the situation said the chances of Oi selling Portugal Telecom had increased following the resignation this month of Zeinal Bava, the Portuguese chief executive of the Brazilian group. He was previously head of Portugal Telecom.
For buyout groups, any acquisition of Portugal Telecom would require a significant equity component as well as debt. Recent market volatility in European credit markets has meant that private equity bidders would probably have to tap the US for deal financing, adding a layer of complexity to any effort to derail Altice’s interest in Portugal Telecom.
If a deal is reached it would be the biggest private equity transaction in Europe this year, when buyout groups have struggled to acquire big ticket items because of high valuations.
The Brazilian telecoms market is in the midst of a complicated set of potential merger transactions, with Oi seen by analysts as a potential suitor for Telecom Italia’s Brazilian mobile business, TIM Brasil. In one scenario, some analysts say Oi could team up with Brazilian telecoms companies controlled by Spain’s Telefónica and America Movil of Mexico to buy TIM Brasil, and then carve up the asset.
However, talks about consolidation of the Brazilian market appear to have slowed, according to people close to the process.
But selling Portugal Telecom, including its African telecoms businesses, would raise funds for Oi that could make the Brazilian market shake-up easier, analysts say.
In a regulatory filing this month, Oi confirmed that it would look at the possible sale of non-strategic assets and stakes in companies such as Africatel Holdings, parent of Portugal Telecom’s African telecoms businesses, but stressed no decisions had been taken.
Shares in Portugal Telecom have fallen sharply this year since the company revealed it had extended €897m in loans to Banco Espirito Santo, the Portuguese banking group and one of its leading shareholders.
Additional reporting by Peter Wise