Telkom on Tuesday rubbished talk among some JSE traders that it is planning a hostile bid for Cell C.
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The share price of Telkom tumbled on Monday morning while Blue Label Telecoms rose after MTN South Africa and Cell C announced they had signed a massively expanded roaming deal.
Telkom said that it expects that the “parties involved” will have considered the newly announced, much-expanded roaming agreement between Cell C and MTN South Africa “in the context of the discussions with Telkom”.
JSE-listed telecommunications specialist Huge Group said on Monday that it has partnered with MTN South Africa to provide additional GSM voice services to its subsidiary companies.
Cell C’s expanded roaming agreement with MTN South Africa, which was signed at the weekend, “adheres to all applicable legal and regulatory requirements”, the companies said.
MTN South Africa and Cell C have signed a comprehensive new roaming deal, potentially making it more complicated for Telkom to pursue an acquisition of Cell C.
Telkom on Friday informed investors that it is pursuing an acquisition of Cell C. So, why didn’t Telkom just say so in the first place? By Duncan McLeod.
On paper at least, an acquisition of Cell C by Telkom makes sense. But Cell C is arguably in worse shape today than it was two years ago when Telkom tried and failed. By Hilton Tarrant.
Communications regulator Icasa on Wednesday moved to caution those involved in various efforts to rescue mobile operator Cell C that any deal must meet “regulatory compliance requirements”.
Telkom wants to buy Cell C in a plan that will include reducing its troubled rival’s debt and renegotiating contracts with suppliers, according to people with knowledge of the situation.