UPDATE 1 - Macedonian units of Telekom Slovenije, Telekom Austria ink merger agreement

The planned merger has been notified to Macedonia’s competition watchdog and will be completed after it gets regulatory clearance, Telekom Slovenije said in a bourse filing.

In October, Telekom Slovenije and Telekom Austria Group said they had agreed to merge their Macedonian units ONE and Vip Operator with the Slovenian telco getting a 45% share in the merged company and the Austrian partner holding a 55% stake.

The agreement also includes call and put options for the exit of Telekom Slovenije from the joint venture within three years from closing of the merger.

The closing of the transaction is planned for the first quarter of 2015, Telekom Slovenije - which is on the privatization list of the government in Ljubljana, said at the time.

Earlier this month, Slovenian state holding company SDH told SeeNews investors interested in a 72.75% stake in Telekom Slovenije that is up for sale have been asked to prepare their binding bids.

Vip Operator and ONE compete on the mobile segment in Macedonia with T-Mobile Macedonia, a unit of Magyar Telekom. Macedonia has a population of around 2.0 million.