TeliaSonera acquires a group of companies within open fiber networks
By acquiring the communication operator Zitius, TeliaSonera continues to invest in the Swedish fiber business. The acquisition also comprises Quadracom Networks and the service provider Riksnet. The operations will become part of TeliaSonera’s Fiber Business unit in Sweden. In total, the purchase price amounts to SEK 473 million on a cash and debt-free basis.
The acquisition complements TeliaSonera’s major initiative to expand its mobile and fixed infrastructure throughout Sweden, corresponding to annual investments of SEK 5 billion until 2015.
Through the acquisition, TeliaSonera’s Swedish operations will take control of the communication operator Zitius with its 160,000 connected households, the network operator Quadracom Networks and the service provider Riksnet. Presently, the target companies are owned by MTG Broadcasting AB and Quadracom AB, and have net sales totalling around SEK 330 million pro forma in 2012.
“We are very happy to be able to acquire a group of companies that have a history of being pioneers in open networks, and we aim to use this knowledge and expertise when we continue to invest in open, competition-neutral networks in the future. We welcome our new customers and look forward to serving them with Telia’s entire portfolio,” says Malin Frenning, President of Business area Broadband Services at TeliaSonera.
The acquisition is subject to approval from the Swedish Competition Authority.
Handelsbanken Capital Markets has acted as financial advisor to TeliaSonera.
TeliaSonera AB discloses the information provided herein pursuant to the Swedish Securities Markets Act and/or the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication at 8.30 a.m. CET on December 18, 2013.
For more information, please contact the TeliaSonera press office +46 771 77 58 30, press@teliasonera.com, visit our Newsroom or follow us on Twitter @TLSN_Media.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements made in the press release relating to future status or circumstances, including future performance and other trend projections are forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. There can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements due to many factors, many of which are outside the control of TeliaSonera.
TeliaSonera provides network access and telecommunication services in the Nordic and Baltic countries, the emerging markets of Eurasia, including Russia and Turkey, and in Spain. TeliaSonera helps people and companies communicate in an easy, efficient and environmentally friendly way. Our ambition is to be number one or two in all our markets, providing the best customer experience, high quality networks and cost efficient operations. TeliaSonera is also the leading European wholesale provider with a wholly-owned international carrier network. In 2012, net sales amounted to SEK 105 billion, EBITDA to SEK 36.1 billion and earnings per share to SEK 4.59. The TeliaSonera share is listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm and NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. Read more at www.teliasonera.com.
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