German cable operator Kabel BW has unveiled plans for an initial public offering (IPO) on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the first half of 2011, Reuters reports. Financial sources said that Kabel BW’s parent, Swedish private equity group EQT, is still sounding out a potential sale of the cableco, but is expected to push ahead with the IPO. CommsUpdate reported last month that EQT had received bids from five companies – US cable company Liberty Global, and private equity firms CVC Capital Partners, Cinven, Providence and Hellman & Friedman – relating to a potential sale of Kabel BW.
EQT has hired JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank as joint global coordinators for the listing, while BofA Merrill Lynch and Royal Bank of Scotland will act as joint bookrunners. The company said in a statement that it would provide more details of the listing in the coming weeks. EQT has been the sole shareholder in Heidelberg-based Kabel BW since it bought the cableco from US investment group Blackstone in April 2006 for around EUR1.3 billion (USD1.8 billion).