Poland’s second largest carrier, Polkomtel, has been sold to media mogul and Forbes rich-list regular Zygmunt Solorz-Zak for a reported €4.5bn. The sale brings an end to what’s been a fairly lengthy saga; the telco’s multiple shareholders have been looking to sell the company for several years but opportunities for a clean sale were regularly marred by in-fighting and disagreement over how the sale should proceed.
The $6bn Polkomtel sale saga looks set to take an interesting turn this week with reports that last-minute squabbling between shareholders could derail the whole process. When news of the impending sale was first announced, many observers pointed to the fragmented nature of the telco’s ownership as a potential roadblock to achieving a smooth sale. On Tuesday, Reuters reported that sources close to the deal are saying the involvement of state-owned shareholderrs with differing views on how the transaction should go ahead are putting the whole venture at risk.
Nordic carriers TeliaSonera and Telenor and Turkish operator Turkcell are among the shortlisted bidders for Polish operator Polokomtel, according to reports in the Polish media. Also said to be on the shortlist is a bid from Polish media mogul and Forbes rich-list regular, Zygmunt Solorz-Zak.
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Dominant Nordic telco TeliaSonera has confirmed a bid for Polish operator Polkomtel, joining a rumoured ten other operators (including Spain’s Telefonica and Norway’s Telenor) looking to expand into the area.