CALDEIRÃO DE BOLSA

Versatel was the major decliner of the day, sinking 62.4 pct to 0.83 pct, after completing the sale of its German activities last week and the takeover of the rest of the company by Tele2. The share also traded ex-dividend

UPDATE 2-Sweden's Tele2 bids 1.34 bln euros for Versatel
Monday 18 July 2005, 3:34am EST
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(Updates with bid details, background, marklet reaction)

By Wendel Broere

AMSTERDAM, July 18 (Reuters) - Swedish telecommunications provider Tele2 (TEL2b.ST: Quote, Profile, Research) has offered 1.34 billion euros ($1.62 billion) in cash for Dutch telecoms company Versatel (VERS.AS: Quote, Profile, Research), pushing its shares up 12 percent to an 11-week high.

Once Tele2, which has a market value around $4.3 billion, completes it offer, it plans to sell Versatel's German business to investment funds advised by British private equity group Apax Partners for about 565 million euros on an enterprise value basis, the companies said in a joint statement on Monday.

The deal will enable Versatel, which has an enterprise value of 1.13 billion euros, to benefit from Tele2's operations in the Benelux region amid consolidation in the European telecommunications market and a search for economies of scale.

The Dutch group, which last month abandoned strategic talks with Belgium's Belgacom (BCOM.BR: Quote, Profile, Research), said it would also benefit greatly from investment by Apax-led funds in its German operations, which contribute around 47 percent of core profits.

Tele2 plans to offer 2.20 euros per share in cash for Versatel's outstanding ordinary shares and around 132,274 euros in cash per note for the firm's outstanding convertible notes.

The offer represents a 14 percent premium over Versatel's closing share price of 1.93 euros on Friday and a 47 percent premium over the closing price of 1.50 euros on April 28, the day prior to the first reports on discussions with Belgacom.

Versatel's supervisory and management boards unanimously support the offer.

Shares in Versatel, which emerged from near bankruptcy almost three years ago, were 13.0 percent higher at 2.18 euros by 0730 GMT, making it the biggest gainer on the Amsterdam exchange. Tele2 shares were up 1.3 percent.

"It looks like a done deal. The major shareholder has agreed with this, so it doesn't look like there are going to be any hiccups and that is very good for the company," said Delta Lloyd trader Lex Bouwmeester.

(Additional reporting by Karl Emerick Hanuska)

Dutch ANP agency withdraws story on Versatel talks
Thu Jul 14, 2005 4:31 AM ET

AMSTERDAM, July 14 (Reuters) - Dutch news agency ANP said on Thursday it was withdrawing an earlier story saying that telecommunication firm Versatel (VERS.AS: Quote, Profile, Research) was in strategic talks with its main shareholder, Talpa, and Deutsche Telekom.

ANP editors said in a statement the news agency had received an email purporting to be from Versatel. Versatel has denied issuing any statement on Deutsche Telekom and Talpa.

"Unfortunately, in this case internal guidelines have not been followed and we failed to verify the statement with the source," the editors said in a statement, adding ANP would do all it could to find the sender of the message.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.

UPDATE 2-Versatel denies Deutsche Telekom talks statement
Thursday 14 July 2005, 2:52am EST
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(Adds Versatel denial)

AMSTERDAM, July 14 (Reuters) - Dutch telecommunications group Versatel (VERS.AS: Quote, Profile, Research) denied on Thursday it had made any statements on strategic cooperation talks with its main shareholder, Talpa, and Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research).

Dutch news agency ANP had cited a Versatel spokesman as saying the talks were at an advanced stage, while financial news agency Betten published the text of what it said was a press release from Versatel announcing the talks.

"We did not issue any statements," Versatel spokeswoman Cilesta van Doorn told Reuters. She declined to comment on whether there were any talks, in line with company policy.

Deutsche Telekom was not immediately available to comment.

Versatel, which is gearing up for a national launch of television services alongside its telecoms and Internet activities, earlier this year ended cooperation talks with Belgacom (BCOM.BR: Quote, Profile, Research).

Talpa is the investment vehicle of billionaire television producer John de Mol, who is preparing to launch a new Dutch commercial television channel, also named Talpa. De Mol was behind the pioneering reality television show Big Brother.

Talpa has a stake of about 42 percent in Versatel, which has a market capitalisation of 980 million euro ($1.20 billion).

Versatel aims to roll out a so-called triple play product -- offering customers combined telecoms, Internet and television services from one provider -- in a challenge to Dutch incumbent telecoms operator KPN (KPN.AS: Quote, Profile, Research) and cable companies.

Last month, Belgian mobile phone operator Mobistar denied local newspaper reports that it was in talks with Versatel to buy the Dutch group's Belgian activities.

Versatel, which is investing heavily in fast Internet infrastructure to deliver live football broadcasts to Dutch consumers over broadband, has also been the target of media and market speculation about a possible bid from Sweden's Tele2 (TEL2b.ST: Quote, Profile, Research) and TeliaSonera (TLSN.ST: Quote, Profile, Research).