DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

ROME (AP) — Italian communications company TIM said Sunday that its board of directors has approved the binding acquisition offer by the KKR investment company, following months of negotiations. In a statement, TIM said the approval took the form of a majority vote. The board rejected a non-binding offer for Sparkle, TIM’s undersea cable unit. Italian state TV said the government, under the deal with KKR, would be a significant shareholder. Political Cartoons View All 1234 ImagesThe binding offer values NetCo — TIM’s fixed network assets but excluding Sparkle — at 18.8 billion euros (some $20 billion), said a statement from TIM.

Persons: della Sera Organizations: ROME, TIM, KKR, European Union, TV Locations: Italian, Milan

☆ Explainer: What's at stake in Telecom Italia grid deal?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TIM is selling NetCo, a venture comprising both TIM's domestic fixed-access network and international wholesale telecoms operator Sparkle. TIM's landline network covers nearly 89% of the country's households and its fibre cable stretches over 23 million kilometres across the country. Beyond TIM's grid, a second major network is being rolled out by Open Fiber, a company controlled by CDP and Australian investment group Macquarie. There had long been talks of trying to combine TIM's network with Open Fiber but competition concerns have hampered such a deal so far. With its 24% voting stake, Vivendi could throw a spanner in the works at any TIM shareholder meeting to vote on a deal or challenge it in the courts.

Persons: Yara, Pietro Labriola's, Giorgia, Elvira Pollina, Keith Weir, Anil D'Silva Organizations: REUTERS, KKR, Italian Treasury, Telecom Italia's, TIM, WHO, Vivendi, Treasury, Trade, Macquarie, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy

☆ KKR asks Telecom Italia to extend deadline for grid bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Tim logo is seen at its headquarters in Rome, Italy November 22, 2021. REUTERS/Yara Nardi Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Sept 22 (Reuters) - U.S. fund KKR (KKR.N) has asked Telecom Italia (TIM) to push back a Sept. 30 deadline to submit a multi-billion euro binding offer for the phone group's landline network until Oct.15, TIM said on Friday. TIM's board will review the request at a meeting on Sept. 27, the company said in a statement. The U.S. fund's preliminary bid valued the business -- dubbed NetCo -- at around 23 billion euros ($24.5 billion)including debt and taking into account a number of variables. ($1 = 0.9404 euros)Reporting by Elvira Pollina, editing by Alvise ArmelliniOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yara, TIM's, Giorgia, Elvira Pollina, Alvise Organizations: REUTERS, KKR, Telecom Italia, TIM, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, U.S

REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Sept 20 (Reuters) - U.S. fund KKR and Italy's Treasury are set to ask Telecom Italia (TIM) for more time to arrange a joint bid for its landline grid, three sources close to the matter said. KKR (KKR.N) last month won the backing of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government, which authorised the Treasury to join its bid for an asset deemed of strategic national interest. The U.S. fund's preliminary bid valued the business -- dubbed NetCo -- at around 23 billion euros ($25 billion) including debt and taking into account a number of variables. The French group, which owns 24% of TIM, has so far shown little appetite for a deal under KKR's terms. The Treasury is evaluating the request, one of these people said, without adding further details.

Persons: Yara, Giorgia, Arnaud de Puyfontaine, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Elvira Pollina, Giuseppe Fonte, Alvise Armellini, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, KKR, Italy's Treasury, Telecom Italia, Treasury, TIM, NetCo, Reuters, Vivendi, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, U.S

☆ Italy set to take over Telecom Italia's submarine cable unit -draft
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Telecom Italia (TIM) logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Italy's Treasury can take full ownership of Telecom Italia's (TIM) (TLIT.MI) submarine cable unit Sparkle as part of an agreement with U.S. fund KKR (KKR.N) to jointly bid for the group's landline grid, a draft government decree showed on Tuesday. The cabinet on Monday approved two decrees providing for the Treasury to take a 15-20% stake in NetCo, a venture comprising both TIM's domestic fixed-access network and submarine cable unit Sparkle. It was valued at up to 1.2 billion euros in KKR's preliminary bid for NetCo, sources have said. The Treasury stake in Telecom Italia's grid would have the same property rights assigned to other shares, one of the decrees indicated.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, TIM's, Elvira Pollina, Giuseppe Fonte, Alvise Armellini, Jason Neely Organizations: Telecom Italia, REUTERS, Treasury, Telecom Italia's, U.S, KKR, Reuters, Telecom, Thomson Locations: NetCo, TIM's Milan

☆ Italy, KKR discussing terms of state investment into fixed line grid - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Telecom Italia (TIM) logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. The preliminary agreement could be signed as early as this week, one of the sources said, adding that discussions were still ongoing. The Treasury could join KKR in its preliminary 23 billion euro ($25 billion) bid for TIM's grid and secure a government stake in the venture that will own the network, alongside other potential state-backed investors, the sources said. Debt-laden TIM has granted KKR an exclusivity period until the end of September to negotiate a binding bid for Netco, a venture comprising both TIM's fixed domestic access grid and submarine cable unit Sparkle. ($1 = 0.9127 euros)Reporting by Elvira Pollina and Giuseppe Fonte; writing by Valentina Za; Editing by Alvise ArmelliniOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Elvira Pollina, Giuseppe Fonte, Valentina Za, Alvise Organizations: Telecom Italia, REUTERS, Treasury, KKR, Telecom Italia's, TIM, Netco, Thomson Locations: MILAN

☆ Telecom Italia's quarterly core profit rises as domestic revenues edge up
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

which was above a company-provided analyst consensus of 1.3 billion euros. TIM's net financial debt rose to 26.1 billion euros ($28.57 billion) as of June 30 from 24.6 billion euros in the same period last year. The company confirmed its financial targets for 2023, including a stabilisation of service revenue and core earnings at the domestic level. The government has special vetting powers on any deal involving TIM's grid and wants to join KKR's bid to keep a strategic oversight on Italy's main telecommunications infrastructure. The grid sale has faced heavy reservations from TIM's top investor, Vivendi (VIV.PA), which is demanding a higher valuation to back a deal.

Persons: Yara, Pietro Labriola, Giorgia, Elvira Pollina, Urvi, Chris Reese, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Telecom Italia, KKR, TIM, U.S, TIM's, Vivendi, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, Milan, Bengaluru

☆ Telecom Italia grid talks leave Vivendi in a bind
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) is moving ahead with the long-awaited sale of its grid. The 5.5 billion euro Italian group has entered exclusive talks with private equity powerhouse KKR (KKR.N), and wants a binding offer by Sept. 30. Vivendi however is valuing the NetCo at 31 billion euros. A 26 billion euro price tag would imply an EV/EBITDA multiple of 14 times. That’s almost three times that of Vodafone (VOD.L) or Telefonica (TEF.MC), assuming the grid’s EBITDA at 1.8 billion euros, according to Barclays estimates.

Persons: Pietro Labriola, Il Messaggero, That’s, – Labriola, Pamela Barbaglia, Pierre Briancon, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Telecom, KKR, Vivendi, hardball, Telecom Italia’s, Vodafone, Telefonica, Barclays, Twitter, Intel, Thomson Locations: Rome, York, French

MILAN, June 10 (Reuters) - U.S. fund KKR (KKR.N) strengthened its lead in the race to secure the landline grid of Telecom Italia (TIM) (TLIT.MI) when it offered to raise its bid by up to or over 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion), two people with knowledge of the matter said. The value of KKR's offer could top 23 billion euros overall, widening the gap with a rival proposal by a consortium comprising Italian state lender CDP and Australian fund Macquarie (MQG.AX). The improved offer would still be short of a valuation of more than 30 billion euros for the grid sought by TIM's top shareholder Vivendi (VIV.PA). Sources had previously told Reuters that both Labriola and some leading Italian officials already saw KKR as the strongest bidder prior to Friday's proposal. TIM's board meets to review the proposals on June 19 and is expected to take a decision on June 22.

Persons: Pietro Labriola's, Labriola, KKR, Macquarie, Akriti Sharma, Elvira Pollina, Marguerita Choy, Leslie Adler Organizations: MILAN, KKR, Telecom Italia, Macquarie, Vivendi, Reuters, TIM, Thomson Locations: ServCo, NetCo, Bengaluru, Milan

MILAN, June 9 (Reuters) - Telecom Italia (TIM) (TLIT.MI) said on Friday it received two new offers for its landline grid as Italy's biggest telecoms group seeks to resolve the impasse over the sale of its main asset. U.S. fund KKR (KKR.N) and a rival consortium comprising state lender CDP and Australian fund Macquarie (MQG.AX) separately submitted bids for Telecom Italia's network, according to a statement. Debt-crippled TIM had sought improved offers for its most valuable asset after having assessed as not yet adequate the proposals received in May. The antitrust problems are linked to CDP and Macquarie's owning fibre optic wholesale provider Open Fiber. Treasury-owned CDP is the second-largest investor in TIM after France's Vivendi (VIV.PA) with a 10% stake.

Persons: Pietro Labriola's, Akriti Sharma, Elvira Pollina, Marguerita Choy, Leslie Adler Organizations: MILAN, Telecom Italia, KKR, Macquarie, Telecom Italia's, TIM, Treasury, France's Vivendi, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru, Milan

Search resuls for: "Netco"

10 mentions found