Bidders include Deutsche Telekom, MTS and Turkcell, all of which are being outbid by private equity firms.
Apaz, Bain Capital and Providence Equity are all said to have bid between €150 and €160 per share, while Deutsche Telekom’s bid stands at an estimated €140.
Apollo Global Management, Cinven, CVC Capital and PPF Group are also thought to be in the running but it is as yet unclear which are among the final eight bidders.
Telekom Slovenije announced plans for its privatisation in September 2013, and the existing bids value the company at between €914 million and €1 billion. Market watchers expect this to increase to over €1 billion.
The Slovenian government had set a target price of €200 per share for its stake in the company, and Deutsche Telekom was initially thought to be the favourite to win.
Bidders have until the end of August to submit a binding offer, and a winner will be selected in the autumn.
In April this year, Telekom Slovenije secured spectrum in the country’s auction, alongside Telekom Austria’s Slovenian subsidiary, Si.mobil, and Tusmobil.
