Jun
27
Written by:
Editor
6/27/2008 10:27 AM
Indonesian telecoms group Bakrie Telecom is reportedly looking to buy a 15% stake in the country’s number two operator Indosat. The move comes as Qatar Telecom (Qtel) looks to increase its stake in Indosat to 40.8%, and then buy out the remaining shares for a total of around USD2.6 billion. Commenting on the rumour, Dileep Srivastava, a director at Bakrie’s majority shareholder, Bakrie & Brothers, said: ‘This is, in our opinion, the first sign of the much-awaited consolidation in the telecom sector. So this presents a good opportunity, an attractive business opportunity for companies like Bakrie Telecom.’ Srivastava confirmed that talk of Bakrie buying into Indosat was merely ‘a rumour’, but went on to say ‘we as a group are watching the development closely, whether there's an opportunity to enhance the value for our telecom operation and for Bakrie & Brothers.’
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