The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina is planning to sell a 39% stake in BH Telecom, according to Indikator.
The state, which would reduce its current 90% ownership to 51%, indicated in March that it was considering such a move. Privatisation…
The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina is planning to sell a 39% stake in BH Telecom, according to Indikator.
The state, which would reduce its current 90% ownership to 51%, indicated in March that it was considering such a move. Privatisation efforts are currently underway at Telekom Slovenije, where a decision on sole bidder Cinven is expected in September, and at Telekom Srbija, with Telekom Austria and Deutsche Telekom as the most likely suitors.
In May, the company reported a 32% drop in full-year profits, which fell to BAM78.6m (US$45m) in 2014 from BAM116.6m in 2013.
The government last considered a sale of the company in 2013, when it said it planned to sell a 5% stake on the stock market and then carry out a feasibility study before determining what to do with the remainder. By the end of that year, however, Prime Minister Nermin Niksic said there was no need to sell shares, as long as the company continued to perform well.
At the time, local media reported that any sale would require the approval of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Today, a spokesperson for the ministry was not available for comment by press time.
In 2012, Turkcell was linked to takeover interest in BH Telecom, as part of a wider expansion plan in the region.
Established in 1992, BH Telecom provides fixed, mobile and broadband internet services. The 10% of shares not held by the government are owned by private investment funds and small shareholders.
