The EUR 1.82 billion state sell-off of Cesky Telecom is endangered because KPN and Swisscom are insisting on a higher buy-out price, according to a report by the Financial Times. The bidding consortium, including Deutsche Bank and TDC, agreed a price of EUR 1.82 bln for the state's 51% stake in August, but until now failed to reach a deal with Telsource, a consortium of KPN and Swisscom. On November 26 the deadline of the offer will expire. KPN wants to achieve a price close to the government's 340 crowns a share and claims it can afford to wait, because there's no need any more to sell everything. The Deutsche Bank has reached an outline deal to buy out the Atlantic West consortium of AT&T and Verizon Communications, which own 49% and management control of Eurotel, Cesky Telecom's mobile unit.
