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☆ Morgan Stanley names global 'alpha' stock ideas for January — and gives one 50% upside
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Asian markets may have had a rocky 2023, but those looking for pockets of opportunities in the region can look to Morgan Stanley's selection of "alpha" stocks. Another top stock that Morgan Stanley is overweight on is the Singapore-headquartered United Overseas Bank . Here are 10 stocks from Morgan Stanley's full list of top overweight-rated stocks for January. Notable bottom-ranked stocks Morgan Stanley also named its "notable bottom-ranked stock ideas." These factors "should result in a wider discount to peers like Telstra ," the investment bank's analysts wrote.

Persons: Morgan Stanley's, Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Michael Bloom Organizations: Alpha, Asia, SK Telecom, Korea, United Overseas Bank, ASEAN, Morgan, TPG Telecom, Telstra Locations: Asia, Pacific, Japan, Asia Pacific, Korean, Singapore

☆ Australia's TPG Telecom ends $4 billion fibre sale talks with Vocus
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jason Reed/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 13 (Reuters) - Australia's TPG Telecom Ltd (TPG.AX) said on Monday it had ended discussions with Macquarie-backed rival Vocus Group for the sale of some of its non-mobile fibre assets for about A$6.3 billion ($4.00 billion) as the parties failed to agree commercial terms. "The proposed transaction involved considerable complexity and, ultimately, the parties have been unable to reach alignment on the operating model and commercial terms," TPG Telecom said in a statement. In August, Vocus had made a non-binding offer to TPG Telecom to acquire certain Enterprise, Government and Wholesale (EGW) assets and associated fixed infrastructure assets, including wholesale broadband business Vision Network. The collapse of the fibre sale deal with Vocus is a second such setback for TPG Telecom, whose asset swap deal with bigger rival Telstra Group (TLS.AX) was blocked by the country's antitrust regulator and Australian Competition Tribunal. Under the asset swap deal, Telstra would have bought spectrum and transmission towers from TPG, while TPG would have kept selling 4G and 5G coverage using Telstra infrastructure.

Persons: Jason Reed, Vocus, Himanshi, Sandra Maler, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, Australia's TPG Telecom Ltd, Vocus Group, TPG Telecom, Enterprise, Government, Wholesale, Vision Network, TPG, Vocus, Telstra Group, Australian Competition, Telstra, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Macquarie, Bengaluru

☆ TPG Telecom's $4 bln fiber assets bid's due diligence period expires
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 4 (Reuters) - Australia's TPG Telecom (TPG.AX) said on Wednesday the exclusive due diligence period granted to Macquarie-backed rival Vocus Group for the A$6.3 billion ($3.97 billion) bid for its non-mobile fiber assets has expired. Discussions between the parties for the commercial terms of the deal remain ongoing, with the consideration subject to change, TPG said in a statement. The bid, made in August, includes TPG's non-mobile fibre assets such as certain Enterprise, Government and Wholesale (EGW) assets and associated fixed infrastructure assets, including the wholesale broadband business, Vision Network. A successful deal would create a combined entity with A$8 billion to A$9 billion enterprise valuation. Separately, TPG was in an asset swap deal with Telstra which faced strong regulatory opposition based on competition concerns.

Persons: Nausheen, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Australia's TPG Telecom, Vocus Group, TPG, Enterprise, Government, Wholesale, Vision Network, Telstra, Thomson Locations: Macquarie, Vocus, dealmaking, Bengaluru

SYDNEY, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The blocking of three major deals by Australia's antitrust regulator in the past year was a coincidence, its chair told Reuters, pushing back against concerns among bankers that it has become deal-averse. "There happens to have been a sequence, frankly coincidentally as it turns out, of oppositions," ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said in an interview. There are some concerns that it could be blocked as Brookfield owns AusNet, a poles and wires asset in Victoria state. Cass-Gottlieb also said she doubted foreign investors have been dissuaded from pursuing deals in Australia which does not require companies to get formal clearance before proceeding with a takeover. "The recent stream of merger blockages will make foreign investors think twice."

Persons: Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Canada's Brookfield, Cass, Stephen Corones, Hannah Marshall, it's, Byron Kaye, Scott Murdoch, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Telstra, TPG, ANZ, Transurban, Origin Energy, Brookfield, FOCUS Cass, Investors, Queensland University of Technology, Cass, Marque Lawyers, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, AusNet, Victoria, Australia, Queensland

☆ Australia's TPG Telecom extends due diligence period for $4 bln fibre assets offer
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 6 (Reuters) - Australia's TPG Telecom Ltd (TPG.AX) has extended until Oct. 4 an exclusive due diligence period granted to rival Vocus Group for the A$6.3 billion ($4.02 billion) offer for its non-mobile fibre assets. Discussions between the parties are ongoing and incomplete and its board has not made any decision to accept any offer, TPG said on Wednesday. Reuters in August reported that TPG, one of the country's top telecom firms, had received a non-binding offer from Vocus to buy some of its non-mobile fibre assets. Vocus, formed by infrastructure investors Macquarie Infrastructure and Aware Super, specialises in wholesale fibre networks. It has offered to buy certain Enterprise, Government and Wholesale (EGW) assets and associated fixed infrastructure assets, including the wholesale broadband business, Vision Network.

Persons: Poonam, Devika Syamnath Organizations: Australia's TPG Telecom Ltd, Vocus Group, TPG, Reuters, Macquarie Infrastructure, Enterprise, Government, Wholesale, Vision, Thomson Locations: dealmaking, Bengaluru

☆ Australia's Telstra shelves InfraCo stake sale plan, shares down
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Poonam Behura | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The country's largest telecoms firm decided against selling a stake in InfraCo Fixed, saying the unit "plays an important role" in achieving its long-term goals. InfraCo Fixed posted a 4.1% rise in annual income to A$2.56 billion ($1.64 billion), contributing 11% to Telstra's total income of A$23.25 billion. Telstra is targeting net cost reductions of A$500 million and mid-single digit underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) growth through to FY25. It expects underlying EBITDA between A$8.2 billion and A$8.4 billion for fiscal 2024, higher than A$7.86 billion in the previous year. We remain absolutely committed to delivering our FY25 underlying EBITDA and EPS growth ambitions," Brady said.

Persons: David Gray, Henry Jennings, Vicki Brady, Brady, Poonam Behura, Anil D'Silva, Subhranshu Organizations: Telstra, REUTERS, Australia's Telstra, InfraCo, Marcustoday, TPG Telecom, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Aussie telecom firms Telstra, TPG will not appeal block of asset transfer deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/David Gray/Aug 14 (Reuters) - Australian telecom firms Telstra Group (TLS.AX) and TPG Telecom (TPG.AX) on Monday said separately they would not appeal the country's competition tribunal's decision to block an asset transfer deal between the two telecom giants. In June, the Australian Competition Tribunal upheld the competition regulator's decision to block the deal between the telecom firms, under which Telstra would have bought spectrum and transmission towers from TPG, while TPG would have kept selling 4G and 5G coverage using Telstra infrastructure. The country's competition regulator had ruled against the asset transfer deal in December citing competition concerns and potentially impacting the no. Telstra did not provide any details about its decision to not appeal the tribunal's decision in the exchange filing, and did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for further details. TPG Telecom, which also did not provide any reason, said it would "continue to explore commercial options to expand its mobile network".

Persons: David Gray, Sameer Manekar, Diane Craft Organizations: Telstra, REUTERS, Australian, Telstra Group, TPG Telecom, TPG, Optus, Singapore Telecommunications, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ TPG Telecom gets $4.2 bln offer for non-mobile fibre assets from Vocus
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TPG Telecom said that Vocus made a non-binding offer to acquire certain Enterprise, Government and Wholesale (EGW) assets and associated fixed infrastructure assets, including wholesale broadband business Vision Network. Shares of TPG Telecom ended 11.6% higher at A$5.600 after resuming trading, marking their biggest intraday jump ever and finishing the day at their highest closing level since May 15. TPG Telecom said it has provided Vocus exclusive due diligence, which is set to expire on September 6. A spokesperson for Vocus said "discussions with TPG are confidential, subject to conditions and regulatory approvals. ($1 = 1.4977 Australian dollars)Reporting by Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia CheemaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vocus, Sameer Manekar, Sonia Cheema Organizations: TPG, TPG Telecom, Enterprise, Government, Wholesale, Vision, Telstra Group, Telstra, Vision Network, Australian Financial, Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Macquarie, Vocus, Bengaluru

☆ Telstra-TPG Telecom network sharing deal blocked by Australia's competition tribunal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

June 21 (Reuters) - The Australian Competition Tribunal has upheld a decision to block a network sharing agreement between wireless internet firms Telstra Group (TLS.AX) and TPG Telecom (TPG.AX), TPG said on Wednesday. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) had ruled against the plan in December, saying it would bring "a real risk that TPG and Optus will invest less in critical infrastructure". Optus, the country's No. 2 wireless internet provider and which is owned by Singapore Telecommunications (STEL.SI), had opposed the deal, saying it would build Telstra's market dominance. Reporting by Harish Sridharan in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu SahuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Harish Sridharan, Subhranshu Sahu Organizations: Australian, Telstra Group, TPG Telecom, TPG, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Optus, Singapore Telecommunications, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Australia's competition tribunal blocks Telstra-TPG Telecom network deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Harish Sridharan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

2 wireless internet provider owned by Singapore Telecommunications (STEL.SI). TPG said it would review the tribunal's decision before considering its options for further appeal, including a judicial review in the Federal Court. Telstra shares were up 0.7% in early trade, while TPG's shares fell as much as 10.8%, the biggest intraday decline since August 2022. Optus, which had previously opposed the deal on the grounds it would build Telstra's market dominance, said it welcomed the tribunal's decision. "The tribunal's decision was a decisive move for competition in the sector," Commpete Chair Michelle Lim said.

Persons: Vicki Brady, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, Commpete, Michelle Lim, Harish Sridharan, Subhranshu Sahu, Jamie Freed, Sherry Jacob, Phillips Organizations: Companies Telecom, Optus, TPG Telecom, TPG, Telstra, Australian Competition Tribunal, Telstra Group, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Singapore Telecommunications, ACCC, ACT, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Factbox: Penalties imposed on Australian companies over the recent years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Here are some of the major penalties imposed by the regulators:AMP LTD (AMP.AX)Troubled Australian wealth manager AMP Ltd was fined a court-mandated penalty of A$24 million in May for billing dead clients for insurance and financial advice. In October 2022, ANZ was penalised A$25 million for failing to provide certain benefits it had agreed to give customers. In October 2022, CBA's trading unit was fined A$20 million for compliance failures in delivering financial services. NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK (NAB.AX)National Australia Bank, the country's second-largest bank, was charged A$18.5 million penalty in August 2021 by a court for issuing misleading fee disclosure statements or none at all. WESTPAC BANKING CORP (WBC.AX)Australia's third-biggest lender, Westpac Banking Corp was ordered to pay A$113 million in penalties in April 2022 for multiple compliance failures across its businesses.

☆ Australia's TechnologyOne halts trading after being hit by cyber attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 10 (Reuters) - Australia's TechnologyOne Ltd (TNE.AX) said on Wednesday it had detected an unauthorised third-party access to its back-office systems, becoming the latest target in a series of cyber attacks that has bogged companies in the country since last year. "TechnologyOne's customer-facing SaaS platform is not connected to the Microsoft 365 system, and therefore, has not been impacted," the enterprise software maker reassured its customers in an exchange filing. The software maker immediately went on a trading halt after the announcement, and said it has isolated the affected systems and will contact the impacted customers after an investigation is conducted. Major firms such as top grocer Woolworths Ltd (WOW.AX), and telecoms Telstra (TLS.AX) and TPG Telecom (TPG.AX) have reported data breaches and unauthorised access, bringing to light corporate vulnerability to cyber attacks. Reporting by Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia blocks Telstra-TPG wireless internet deal, sparking legal fight
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Australia's antitrust regulator blocked an asset transfer deal between Telstra and TPG, the country's No.1 and No.2 wireless internet firms, citing competition concerns, setting the scene for a legal battle over access to four million customers. In a deal announced in May, Telstra Group (TLS.AX) was to buy spectrum - airwaves which carry wireless internet - and transmission towers from TPG Telecom Ltd (TPG.AX), while TPG would keep selling 4G and 5G coverage using what would become Telstra's infrastructure. 3 wireless internet provider Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications (STEL.SI), opposed the deal saying it would build Telstra's market dominance. The decision sets up a second legal showdown between TPG and the ACCC in just over two years. "By knocking back this deal, the ACCC has helped ensure that our regional communities will continue to benefit from competition," said Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin in a statement.

☆ Australia rejects Telstra, TPG's network-sharing deal; firms to appeal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 21 (Reuters) - The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) on Wednesday rejected TPG Telecom's (TPG.AX) regional network-sharing agreement with Telstra Group (TLS.AX), and said the deal would significantly weaken overall competition in the country. TPG's shares tanked nearly 6% to a record low following the news, while Telstra slipped 0.1%. In February, the telecom giants signed a regional multi-operator core network agreement under which Telstra — the country's largest telecoms operator — would gain access to TPG's 4G and 5G spectrums. TPG and Telstra expressed disappointment with the competition regulator's decision, which the latter said it would appeal against, while rival telecoms firm Optus — owned by Singapore Telecommunications (STEL.SI) — welcomed it. ACCC noted the network-sharing arrangement is proposed at a time when all the three companies — TPG, Telstra and Optus — are competing in the roll-out of 5G infrastructure including in regional areas.

☆ Australia's competition watchdog rejects Telstra-TPG network sharing deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 21 (Reuters) - Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) on Wednesday rejected TPG Telecom's (TPG.AX) network sharing agreement with Telstra Corp (TLS.AX), saying the deal would significantly weaken competition in the country. 2 internet service provider - said it was "disappointed" with the Australian competition regulator's decision and is preparing an application for a review of the decision. In February, the companies signed a regional multi-operator core network agreement under which Telstra, the country's largest telecoms operator, would gain access to TPG's 4G and 5G spectrums. The deal was expected to deliver between A$1.6 bln ($1.07 bln) and A$1.8 billion of revenue to Telstra over the initial 10-year term. Reporting by Navya Mittal in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australian telecom firms fined $22.1 mln for false internet speed claims
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 11 (Reuters) - Three Australian telecom firms have been ordered by a court to pay a collective A$33.5 million ($22.08 million) in penalties for making misleading claims about speeds of some NBN internet plans, the country's competition regulator said on Friday. The Australian Federal Court has ordered Telstra (TLS.AX) to pay A$15 million, a unit of TPG Telecom (TPG.AX) to cough up A$5 million, and imposed a fine of A$13.5 million on Optus, a unit of Singapore Telecommunications (STEL.SI), the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) said. All three telcos have admitted in court of making false or misleading statements, the regulator said, claiming nearly 120,000 customers were affected. According to the ACCC, the false or misleading statements were made for at least 12 months in 2019 and possibly extended until 2020, related to their 50 Megabits per second (Mbps) or 100Mbps fibre to the node plans. ($1 = 1.5175 Australian dollars)Reporting by Harshita Swaminathan; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Australia Inc roiled by raft of cyberattacks since late 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] A woman uses her mobile phone as she walks past in front of an Optus shop in Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. AUSTRALIAN CLINICAL LABSAustralian Clinical Labs Ltd (ACL.AX), one of the country's largest pathology providers, said unit Medlab suffered a breach that exposed data of about 223,000 patients. TPG TELECOMAustralia's No.2 internet service provider TPG Telecom (TPG.AX) said it had been notified of unauthorised access to a hosted exchange service that hosts email accounts of up to 15,000 business customers. CBACommonwealth Bank of Australia CBA.AX said its Indonesian unit, PT Bank Commonwealth (PTBC), had been hit by a cyber incident involving unauthorised access of a web-based software application used for project management. IPHAustralian intellectual property services provider IPH Ltd (IPH.AX) said it had detected unauthorised access to a portion of its IT environment, compromising information including administrative documents and some client documents.

☆ Australia tells SingTel-owned Optus to pay cost of replacing hacked ID documents
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterAn Optus representative was not immediately available to respond to Jones's comments. Optus has apologised for the breach and said it would pay for the most affected customers to receive credit monitoring for a year. Optus and law enforcement authorities have not verified the demand, although cybersecurity experts say it was most likely authentic. The stolen data included passport numbers, drivers licence numbers, government health insurance numbers, phone numbers and home addresses, prompting commentators and lawmakers to demand replacement documents. 3 internet provider TPG Telecom Ltd (TPG.AX), which has about 6 million customers.

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