Swisscom rumoured to have given up on Eircom

FRESH doubts were raised over the proposed takeover of Eircom yesterday when it was reported that potential buyer Swisscom had turned its attention to Denmark’s top fixed-line operator.

A Swiss newspaper said Swisscom had started detailed talks with TDC, the former Danish state monopoly that is valued at over €10 billion, around four times the size of Eircom. The paper added Swisscom was also lining up a knockout bid for Dutch telecoms heavyweight KPN, which is bigger than Swisscom and valued at around €20 billion.

Swisscom refused to comment on the reports. It has made no comment on its interest in Eircom other than a brief statement confirming that talks were underway. It also said, however, that Eircom was just one of a number of investment opportunities it had looked at recently and that “there can be no certainty that an offer will in fact be made”.