January 23 (SeeNews) - Deutsche Telekom is interested in establishing a strategic partnership with Bosnia's BH Telecom, Bosnian media reported.
The German company has already delegated an advisor to assist the government of Bosnia's Federation as it implements reforms in the entity's telecommunications sector in line with an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, news daily Novi.ba reported citing government sources.
Earlier this month, Croatia's biggest telecommunications operator Hrvatski Telekom, a unit of Deutsche Telekom, announced it has signed a share purchase agreement with Hungary's Magyar Telekom to acquire a 76.53% stake in Montenegro's Crnogorski Telekom.
Deutsche Telekom is also an owner in Bosnia's other telecommunications operator HT Mostar, via Hrvatski Telekom.
In November last year, the Federation government said that the IMF expects it to radically restructure the entity's two telecommunications operators.The restructuring process is to be preceded by a due diligence study of both companies, the Federation government said at the time.
The Federation government controls a 90% stake in BH Telecom and 50.1% of HT Mostar.
Following local media reports that the Federation allegedly plans to sell parts of its stakes in the entity's telecommunications operators, the government responded by saying it will not privatise BH Telecom. It also denied claims it is drafting a report on the operations of BH Telecom with a view of selling the company.
According to Novi.ba, the government could sell a minority stake in BH Telecom to Deutsche Telekom with a view of improving the Bosnian company's business operations.
The Federation is one of two entities that form Bosnia and Herzegovina. The other is the Serb Republic.