PPF Telecom Group denied reports it planned to sell its Telenor-branded operations in Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and Hungary which would have resulted in it largely exiting Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

Local media suggested the company had already held talks to explore options for sell its assets in the four countries as a cost-cutting measure.

The reports appeared to sit well with a recent restructure undertaken by PPF Telecom which resulted in the separation of its retail and infrastructure units and the creation of CETIN Group to oversee the network business.

But, PPF Telecom refuted the speculation regarding a retail sale, explaining in a statement to Mobile World Live it “does not consider or plan to sell any of its telecom assets in the CEE region”.

The group bought the four Telenor operations in 2018 for €2.8 billion. It is also active in Slovakia and the Czech Republic under the O2 brand. The group claims to serve more than 12 million subscribers with mobile, fixed, internet and television offerings.