Telenet strikes mobile deal to secure EC BASE approval

Liberty Global-owned Belgian cable operator Telenet has agreed to sell a number of acquisition target BASE Company’s JIM Mobile unit’s mobile customer base to media group Medialaan, along with BASE’s 50% stake in VikingCo NV, the company behind the mobile brand Mobile Vikings, as part of a drive to secure EC approval of the BASE deal.

Telenet has agreed to transfer the entire JIM Mobile customer base to Medialaan, which owns Flemish commercial TV channel VTM.

The JIM Mobile products are currently sold under a branded partner agreement that BASE Company and Medialaan signed in 2010, whereby Medialaan is responsible for the marketing of the JIM Mobile products and BASE Company for all other aspects of the mobile product. Following Telenet’s acquisition of BASE Company, the branded partner agreement would still continue for some time, but BASE Company would transfer, within two years, the JIM Mobile customers to Medialaan, which would then become a full MVNO using the BASE network.

Telenet would also sell BASE’s 50% stake in VikingCo to Medialaan. VikingCo operates as ‘light MVNO’ on the BASE network.

The agreements are subject to approval of Telenet’s acquisition of BASE Companyu by the EC and approval by the Belgian competition regulator of Medialaan’s acquisition of the two units.

Telenet’s proposed acquisition of KPN-owned BASE Company is currently the subject of an EC inquiry.