Czech Republic-based private equity group PPF has reportedly confirmed it is considering participating in the nation’s planned spectrum auction.
A spokesperson for PPF, which claims to be one of the largest investment and finance groups in Central…
Czech Republic-based private equity group PPF has reportedly confirmed it is considering participating in the nation’s planned spectrum auction.
A spokesperson for PPF, which claims to be one of the largest investment and finance groups in Central and Eastern Europe with about €12bn of assets under management, was quoted telling Dow Jones that the company has made a submission as part of the tender’s official consultation process.
The group, led by founder and majority shareholder Petr Kellner, will reportedly make a final decision on whether to participate in the auction when it is aware of the final terms.
The Czech Telecommunication Office (CTU) launched the consultation phase for its planned auction for spectrum in the 800MHz, 1800MHz and 2600MHz bands in late March.
On 10 April, the authority extended the deadline to 11 May at the request of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to allow sufficient time to respond to potential bidders.
A CTU spokesperson confirmed 29 corporate and legal entities have expressed interest in participating in the auction, including mobile operators Telefonica 02, Deutsche Telekom-owned T-Mobile and Vodafone.
The CTU intends to complete its review of potential bidders’ submissions by 11 June and finalise the auction’s terms by 22 June, the spokesperson said. At this stage, the deadline for bids is 10 August although this may be extended if the authority decides it needs more time to review submissions. The CTU expects to be able to announce the auction results by the end of 2012.
PPF was not immediately available for comment.
