Mobile operators France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom could combine further operations in Austria and Romania to cut costs, according to reports translating local paper Handelsblatt.
Citing an undisclosed source, the reports suggest the two companies are…
Mobile operators France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom could combine further operations in Austria and Romania to cut costs, according to reports translating local paper Handelsblatt.
Citing an undisclosed source, the reports suggest the two companies are in talks that could result in a network merger like the one seen in the UK with Everything Everywhere.
Back in February, EE CFO Richard Moat told TelecomFinance that “people like what they’re seeing” in the multi-billion pound synergies DT and FT have made through merging their respective T-Mobile and Orange units in the UK.
This £5.125bn deal was carried out last year by Perella Weinberg, BoA Merrill Lynch and JPMorgan.
Moat added at the time that it was “theoretically possible” for the companies to form similar JVs in other European countries.
Indeed, FT and DT are also reportedly in talks to establish a joint mobile network in Poland, where they hope to generate savings of several hundred million euro by 2015.
A spokeswoman for DT declined to comment on the rumours, but insisted the group was not actively pursuing a network sharing strategy.
“DT generally evaluates all opportunities that may increase the quality of its services whilst decreasing cost,” she told TelecomFinance in an email.
“A cooperation for the construction and operation of a mobile network is one possibility, but not necessarily our top priority. Especially the network quality is an important differentiator to the competition; as such each country’s particular circumstances and possible solutions to these must be studied very carefully.
Deutsche Telekom has recently agreed to sell its American business, T-Mobile USA, to AT&T, pending regulatory approval.
FT did not respond to requests for comment.
