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Bouygues, Orange, Free-iliad In Talks With Altice for French Telecoms Business

Provided by Dow Jones Jan 22, 2026, 8:19:00 AM

By Adria Calatayud

France's Bouygues, Orange and Free-iliad Group said they are in talks with Altice Group, owned by billionaire Patrick Drahi, for a potential acquisition of most of its French telecommunications operations.

The talks come after Altice in October rejected a joint nonbinding offer from the three companies to acquire a large part of its business for 17 billion euros ($19.87 billion).

"The legal and financial terms of the transaction have not yet been agreed upon," Bouygues Telecom, Free-iliad Group and Orange said Thursday in a joint statement.

Due diligence began in early January and discussions are under way, the companies said. There is no certainty that the process will result in any deal, they added.

Altice didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Write to Adria Calatayud at adria.calatayud@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 22, 2026 03:19 ET (08:19 GMT)

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