Vodafone verkoopt aandelen in Franse mobiele aanbieder SFR
Frankrijk het eerste Europese land zonder Vodafone netwerk.
Vodafone may be open to selling its 44% stake in French mobile network, SFR to its majority shareholder, Vivendi, reports the French newspaper, Le Figaro. Without citing sources, the newspaper said that Vodafone’s board has told its executives that if they want to continue making acquisitions in emerging markets, then it will have to consider the sale of minority interests, such as SFR.
Vodafone’s stake in SFR is estimated to be worth around EUR6.8 billion on the open market, but Vivendi has a right of first refusal and is unlikely to want to pay above EUR6 billion, the paper added.
Jean-Bernard Levy, Chairman of France’s Vivendi has previously said that he is confident that he can persuade Vodafone to sell its minority stake in the French mobile phone operator SFR – eventually. This is a turn around from 2003, when Vivendi was itself looking vulnerable to a takeover of the entire company by Vodafone which was expected to then sell off the non-mobile assets in order to gain ownership of SFR.
Vivendi originally took control of the mobile operator after it beat Vodafone in a battle to aquire British Telecom’s 26% stake in Cegetel. Cegetel itself controls 80% of the GSM network, SFR – hence Vivendi gained an effective 56% controlling interest in the network.
bron:cellular news
