LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), February 5 (Seenews) - Deutsche Telekom AG has shown interest in buying the state-held majority stake in Slovenia's leading operator Telekom Slovenije [LJSE:TLSG], German media said on Wednesday, citing government sources in Ljubljana.
Slovenia plans to divest its interest in the telecoms company by the end of 2014, daily Handelsblatt noted, adding that the state's 63% stake is estimated by market sources at about 700 million euro ($945 million).
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Telekom Slovenije said in late December that a majority of its shares will be put up for sale under an an agreement with state-controlled fund Slovenska Odskodninska Druzba, which represents a consortium of sellers holding 72.75% in the telco.
According to industry experts, a potential deal will provide synergies for the German major, as it already operates in neighbouring Austria, Croatia and Hungary, the daily noted.
The Ljubljana-based telecoms group operates as a fixed and mobile services provider in Slovenia, Kosovo and Macedonia. It also provides fixed-line services in Albania and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The profitable group expects for 2014 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of up to 212 million euro.
Other suitors reportedly interested in Telekom Slovenije include financial investors Bain and Axos, Chinese Huawei as well as a Russian telecoms company, the German paper added.
($ = 0.740 euro)