Analysts consulted by Teletime NEWS say they don?t expect BCP Nordeste to be acquired by Opportunity, whose bid was announced in the press by João Cox, president of Telemig Celular, on Tuesday, January 28. ?The most likely buyer is Telecom Americas, which has been negotiating for some time,? said an analyst whose sources include a senior executive with Banco Safra. BCP is controlled by Safra, a Brazilian financial group, and BellSouth. Telecom Americas is controlled by Mexico?s America Móvil.
Another source believes Opportunity?s bid was precisely a response to the progress made by Telecom Americas in its negotiations with Safra and BellSouth. Opportunity is genuinely interested in BCP, which would strengthen the consortium being set up by Brasil Telecom, Telemig Celular and Tele Norte Celular, all of which it controls. ?Safra and BellSouth want to sell to a group with plenty of cash so it can assume BCP?s debt as well,? said the source.
Something similar may have happened during negotiations between Brasilcel and the controlling shareholders of Tele Centro Oeste Celular (TCO). Opportunity took the market by surprise with its bid while Brasilcel was still engaged in appraisals. The bid was even considered financially attractive, but Splice preferred to sell to the Portugal Telecom/Telefonica joint venture.
Mergers & acquisitions
