Globe Telecom has entered exclusive talks with bidders for its telecommunication tower portfolio in a deal that could be worth as much as US$1.5 billion, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The Filipino telecom giant is considering selling about 6,000 towers in a two-part deal, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. A consortium comprising Stonepeak Partners and local power retailer Manila Electric Co., known as Meralco, is in discussions for some of the assets, they said.
Another party consisting of buyout firm Partners Group Holding AG and Aboitiz Group, a conglomerate owned by the billionaire Aboitiz family, is negotiating for the remainder of the portfolio, according to the people.
While talks are at an advanced stage, they could still fall apart, the people said. Other suitors including private equity firm KKR & Co remain interested in the assets, they said. Globe could also decide not to proceed with any deal, the people added.
Globe, which counts Singapore Telecommunications and Filipino conglomerate Ayala Corp among its largest shareholders, is looking to sell about 6,000 of its towers in a deal that could be valued at as much as US$1.5 billion, Bloomberg News reported earlier this month.
Digital infrastructure assets such as telecom towers and data centres have increasingly become targets for deal activity in the region. Globe Telecom’s divestment plan comes after its rival PLDT sold its towers for 77 billion pesos ($1.4 billion) in April to Axiata Group’s edotco Group and EdgePoint Infrastructure, backed by DigitalBridge Group.
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Representatives for Globe Telecom, KKR and Stonepeak declined to comment, while representatives for Aboitiz, Meralco and Partners Group didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
