Mid Europa Partners picks Rothschild to sell off Hungarian unit Invitel

Private equity fund Mid Europa Partners has reportedly selected Rothschild Group to sell off its Hungarian fixed line telephony and broadband operator Invitel Holdings, according to TMT Finance. In March this year TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate reported on Mid Europa Partners’ intention to divest its Magyar business – the second largest fixed line operator in the country – after acquiring a controlling 74.4% stake from Danish telephone company TDC in September 2009. Invitel is now valued at around EUR200 million-EUR300 million (USD275.4 million-USD431.0 million), but it is thought that the fund is willing to see its Hungarian assets broken up into smaller pieces to boost sale prospects. A formal sales process is now expected to begin in the third quarter of 2014, with Hungarian mobile operators T-Mobile (owned by Magyar Telecom), Vodafone and Telenor all named as potential bidders. Meanwhile, Romania Cable Systems (RCS&RDS) has been named as an outside bet.