The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Tiscali 'flogs French ISP'

Telecom Italia new owner, apparently

See what The Register's experts have to say on application security

Tiscali has flogged its French operation to Telecom Italia for between €250m and €300m, according to press reports.

The acquisition of Tiscali's Liberty Surf unit should be signed on Thursday reports Il Corriere della Sera via AFX newswire.

According to press reports a number of suitors - including Neuf Telecom, Cegetel and Deutsche Telekom - have all been sniffing around Tiscali France. For them, the acquisition of this major ISP would be a useful way to increase their subscriber base in an increasingly competitive market.

Said analysts Ovum: "The valuation, number and identity of contenders tell much on the current state of the French ADSL market. The premium paid to win the third-ranking French player shows the competitive pressure felt by sub-scale players."

For Tiscali, the motivation for flogging its French operation is simple. While it has already disposed of non-core country businesses such as Austria, Denmark, Norway and Sweden to raise cash, it does have the pressing matter of a €250m loan which needs to be repaid by the summer. ®

Related stories

186k takes over 200 Tiscali UK VISPS
Tiscali denies France sell-off reports
Tiscali OKs H1 numbers
Tiscali chops off Swiss arm
Lycos Europe buys Tiscali Sweden
Tiscali Norway flogged
Tiscali flogs South African ISP

See what The Register's experts have to say on application security

Don’t Miss

Win a Samsung C6625!

Reg Lucky Draw Windows Mobile handsets up for grabs

Palm_Pre_001_SMIs your cameraphone an oxymoron?

Pic Review iPhone 3G v iPhone 3GS v Palm Pre

Reg black vulture logoReg Mobile and Wireless newsletter is go! go! go!

Site news Email-tasm

Sign up, sign up for The Register IT security newsletter

Narrowcasting for the email classes