(ANSA-AFP) - PARIS, 21 SET - The parent company of French
mobile operator Free has launched a public offer to buy out
Play, the largest operator in Poland, as it moves to boost
itself on the European stage. Iliad said the offer, which values
Play at 3.5 billion euros ($4.2 billion), has already been
accepted by two of the firm's reference shareholders that have a
40 percent controlling stake. "Like iliad, Play has seen
exceptional growth over the past 15 years," said the group which
shook up the French fixed and mobile markets with competitively
priced and subscription-free offers. "It is the most recent
entrant in the Polish mobile telephony market, having entered in
2007, and today it has 15 million subscribers and a 29 percent
market share, making it the leading mobile telephony operator in
Poland," it added. Iliad said the addition of Play would take it
to 41 million subscribers in France, Poland and Italy, and make
it the sixth largest telecommunications group. (ANSA-AFP).
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