The Prague Business Journal reports today that Vivendi Universal and Telecom Austria have joined the bidding for the government’s (51%) and TelSource’s (27%) stakes in Cesky Telecom, according to “sources close to the sale” (next to France Telecom/Orange, Deutsche Telekom, and several financial investors, whose interest had been previously reported). The PBJ also cites rumors that financial investors are courting Swisscom as another potential strategic partner. According to the reports, the seven short-listed bidders still have not completed the process of forming consortia (financial bidders have to team with strategic bidders according to the tender rules). According to information from last week, due diligence is to be completed by March 3, and we expect final bids to follow sometime in March (the Cabinet is scheduled to receive a recommendation on the best bid by end of March). The news of growing interest in the sale may help the stock.
(Ondrej Datka)