Orange says Bouygues Telelcom acquisition not going to effect credit score rating

Orange's (ORAN.PA) credit score score is unlikely to be impacted by using the potential acquisition of Bouygues Telecom, chief monetary Officer Ramon Fernandez said in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday.

"It'll rely on the terms of the transaction, however it's not going," Fernandez said within the Orange stand on the annual cellular global Congress held in Barcelona. "we've got a totally strong balance sheet," he added.

The main French telecoms operator holds an funding-grade score with all 3 primary credit score score agencies. Its grade is Baa1 at Moody's, BBB+ at popular & poor's and Fitch rankings.

Orange resumed talks in January to shop for Bouygues' telecoms unit in a complex 10 billion-euro transaction that would cut the variety of French telecoms operators to 3 and make Bouygues one of Orange's  fundamental shareholders after the French kingdom.

Orange is retaining parallel talks with Numericable-SFR (NUME.PA) and Iliad (ILD.PA), as any deal might require promoting Bouygues Telecom's assets to competitors to ease opposition worries.

Echoing remarks made by Bouygues's chief government officer Martin Bouygues on Wednesday, Fernandez stated the talks should attain a conclusion, both tremendous or terrible, in March.

"The month of March might be key," Fernandez stated. "it is in absolutely everyone's satisfactory hobby that talks don't move on indefinitely."