Owners of telephone mast giant Arqiva said to keep options open amid sale reports
Telephone mast giant Arqiva could still be set for a stock market flotation, according to sources with knowledge of its situation.
It emerged last night that Arqiva’s owners, including Australian investment bank Macquarie and the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board, could be seeking to sell the company.
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The Telegraph reported that the consortium of owners is seeking expressions of interest this month, with Rothschild handling the auction. Arqiva is valued at between £5bn and £6bn.
But sources with knowledge of the situation played down the deadline and said all options remain open, meaning the firm could still launch an initial public offering (IPO).
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Arqiva has around 8,000 active sites and is the only national provider of radio broadcasting and terrestrial TV.
It works with a range of companies, including the BBC, ITV and Sky, as well as mobile network operators like Vodafone, O2 and Three.