Sources told Bloomberg that French billionaire and owner of mobile and broadband provider Iliad was looking at acquiring European phone companies. People familiar with the matter said Niel's acquisition targets included SFR and Bouygues Telecom, the second and third largest wireless operators in France. The sources also said the billionaire was assessing a possible deal with Belgian-based Mobistar.
An active venture capital investor, Niel has a net worth of USD 8.1 billion. Two years ago, sources said he and Goldman Sachs Group Inc reached the final round of bidding for Orange Switzerland. Apax Partners acquired the unit for USD 2 billion. Before the sale was cancelled, Niel was also thinking of purchasing the Belgian operator of Royal KPN.
In an interview with Bloomberg this month, Nield said he had been always investing. He added, "I'm constantly in talks with someone about some opportunity. You just don't hear about most of my discussions."
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