During a radio interview, Xavier Niel, founder and majority shareholder at Iliad, said: “We are not buyers. The market’s consolidation cannot happen without us so there will be no consolidation.”
Iliad was speculated to have made a bid for Bouygues Telecom earlier this year in a bid to consolidate the market in France, but these discussions were soon brought to a standstill.
Bouygues Telecom is France’s third largest mobile player in a four-strong market, and has been seen as a takeover target after it failed to secure the acquisition of larger rival SFR in March 2014.
Orange dropped a bid for Bouygues Telecom in early July following reports that Bouygues Telecom was seeking too high a price.
Orange reportedly tried to bring Iliad into the talks but the parties could not agree on terms. However, the hurdles Iliad has been facing in its bid for T-Mobile US has sparked rumours the firm may again be looking at a French acquisition.
