With the Esop owning 35 per cent of Eircom, STT has now moved into pole position in the race to acquire the Irish business from Sydney-listed parent Eircom Holdings.
In a bulletin issued to members late yesterday, Jerome Barrett, chairman of the Esop, said: “The Esop board recently considered a request from Singapore Technologies Telemedia (STT) to support their bid on an exclusive basis for a period of time. The Esop board has agreed to this.”
It is understood that the Esop, which has about 14,000 members, wants to secure a long-term investor for Eircom and sees an industry player as the best strategic option. It is likely that the Esop would retain a large stake in Eircom if STT’s bid is successful.
The trust recently withheld just under €50 million in dividend payments to its members to build a war chest for any possible involvement in a bid for Eircom. It was reported to have had reserves of €100 million previously.
An industry player is likely to take a longer term view when assessing strategic goals and investment priorities compared with a private equity player, which would have a three- to five-year horizon in terms of netting a return on its investment.
Founded in 1994, STT specialises in mobile communications. It is a 75 per cent investor in Asia Mobile Holdings, which has mobile interests in Singapore, Laos and Cambodia. It also owns Global Crossing, the fibre-optic cable firm with operations in Ireland.