PARIS-France Telecom signed a three-year strategic partnership agreement with Portuguese telecom company Sonaecom that will see FT sell its stake in Portuguese wireless operator Optimus.
France Telecom is selling its 43.33-percent minority interest in Novis, which provides fixed telephony services, and Clix, which provides Internet services, along with its 20.18-percent stake in Optimus, the third-largest mobile carrier in Portugal, to a Sonaecom subsidiary. In exchange, France Telecom has acquired 23.7-percent of Sonaecom’s capital, making it the second-biggest shareholder in Sonaecom after Sonae SGSPS.
The agreement will enable Sonaecom to access some of France Telecom’s programs, including international mobile services, mobile multimedia content and terminals, while allowing France Telecom to harness its service platforms and seamlessly extend its international mobile services. Furthermore, Sonaecom and France Telecom are planning to cooperate on domestic networks and international traffic. There are also plans to include other programs on all fixed, mobile and Internet service lines, such as on convergent services.
