Page 116 - SAMENA Trends - October 2019

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Portuguese Competition Authority Approves MASMOVIL Takeover of Nowo,

ONI

The Portuguese Competition Authority (Autoridade da
Concorrencia, AdC) has approved a request by Spanish alternative
telecoms operator Grupo MASMOVIL to acquire Cabonitel, the
holding company which controls Portuguese operators Nowo
and Onitelecom (ONI). MASMOVIL’s application received the
green light from the watchdog on 15 October, just two months
after the deal was submitted to the regulator – in August this
year. The deal is being carried out by MASMOVIL IBERCOM and
GAEA INVERSION (a company specifically incorporated for the
realization of the transaction). Cabonitel owns 100% of the share
capital of Nowo, which in turn holds the entire share capital of
ONI. These companies are owned by Cabolink, a Luxembourgish Portuguese telecoms sector. Previously, back in September 2015
company owned by funds managed by US private equity firm KKR. Altice agreed to sell Cabovisao (now Nowo) and ONI to Apax
TeleGeography notes that KKR is understood to have acquired France for EUR140.6 million (USD161.6 million). The deal, which
the business in 4Q18 after converting the debt it was owed into was part of the EC mandate relating to Altice’s takeover of PT
a controlling stake and had no long-term ambitions within the Portugal (MEO), closed in January 2016.

mmWave 5G Auction Could Happen in December, Reckons Ministry Official

Russia’s State Commission for Radio Communication Policy at the Ministry of two regional concessions (of 250MHz and
Frequencies (SCRF) might hold an Digital Development, Communications & 400MHz bandwidth). Previously, a report
auction in December this year for 5G Mass Media, who was attending the GSMA by newspaper Izvestia citing a ministerial
millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies Mobile 360 Eurasia conference in Moscow source and other officials claimed that
in the 25.25GHz-27.5GHz range, reports this week. Mr. Kantsurov mentioned the eleven mmWave frequency lots were
Vedomosti quoting Andrei Kantsurov, availability of six frequency lots: four federal earmarked for sale, with a slightly later
Director of the Department of State licenses with 400MHz bandwidth each and auction target of Q1 2020.

116 OCTOBER 2019