Telkom plans IPO of tower business (Indonesia)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: IPO of the tower businesses has been planned by Indonesian cellco Telkom but before that it will have to buy out tower partner SingTel in a deal which could cost it up to $1.2 billion.
$400 million has already been secured by the operator in loans from local banks to help buy out SingTel’s stake in its tower arm. Telkom has been advised by the Macquarie Group to buy SingTel out of the 9,000-strong tower business.
Telkomsel owns the towers of which 35% stake is owned by SingTel and 65% by Telkom. Transfer of 30,000 towers from Telkomsel to Mitratel had been hoped by both the operators.
BKPM attempts to have telecom infrastructure removed from its Negative Investment List as planned in March failed which prevented foreign investment in the tower industry.
Bharti, Vodafone might pay $3b to Indian govt for 3G license
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: A payment of $3 billion each might have to be made by Vodafone Group Plc and Bharti Airtel Ltd to the Indian government as 15 bidders vie for airwaves to offer faster data services in the world’s second-largest wireless market.
Auctions for 93 licenses will take place in India today to provide high-speed data to mobile phones and computers that may raise an estimated 500 billion rupees ($11.2 billion). The amount is expected to reduce the nation’s deficit.
Telcos like Bharti, the nation’s No. 1 carrier, and the Indian unit of Newbury, England-based Vodafone are expecting to raise their revenues by acquiring 3G license as they have already cut the call rates to attract subscribers.
According to Shubham Majumder, regional head of telecommunications research at Macquarie Group Ltd, prices are likely to surprise on the upside given the tremendous interest and bidding will be fierce†for three available Broadband Wireless Access frequencies used to transmit data to computers.
The three nationwide third-generation licenses may bring $2 billion apiece and the broadband permits may raise $1 billion each.
Macquarie ends Hanaro bid, SK new favourite – report (South Korea)
Australian investment bank Macquarie Group has ended its bid for the 39.4 percent stake in South Korean communications firm Hanarotelecom, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. A consortium of private equity companies (AIG, Newbridge Capital and TVG Capital Partners) plans to sell its almost 40 percent stake, or 91.4 million shares, in Hanarotelecom this year and media reported Macquarie was the likely buyer offering KRW 12,000 per share. Local operator SK Telecom is rumoured to be interested in the stake which would have further consequences for the market. Analysts expect that if SK buys Hanarotelecom, the government may allow rivals KT and KTF to merge. An SK Telecom spokesperson told Dow Jones the company is considering bidding for the hanarotelecom stake. Hanorelecom’s broadband services would be highly complementary to SK Telecom’s mobile and wireless services.
