3 Ireland made a bid of “about EUR2 billion” for troubled Irish operator Eircom, with the possibility the Hutchison Whampoa-owned business will make a renewed offer, according to Bloomberg.
Apparently, the first move was rejected by a court-appointed examiner because too many conditions were attached. Eircom filed for the equivalent to bankruptcy protection in March 2012 with EUR3.8 billion of debt, leading to suggestions that 3 is now in the hunt for a bargain.
Eircom is Ireland’s biggest fixed-line provider, and has been hit by an economic slowdown which has hit the country hard. It also owns mobile operator Meteor, which is the third largest in the market – ahead of 3 Ireland.
3 is also participating in in-market consolidation in Austria, with the planned acquisition of assets from France Telecom-Orange in the country. This deal has seen significant regulatory scrutiny, however, due in part to the planned subsequent sale of assets to market-leader Telekom Austria.
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