Telenor and CP Group to merge Thai telecom units for $8.6 billion

Norway’s Telenor and Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group) have agreed to merge their telecom units in Thailand, the Oslo-based company said in a statement on Monday, in a deal valued at about 282.8 billion baht ($8.61 billion).

The deal, which Telenor had flagged on Friday, would merge the telecom operations of Telenor’s Total Access Communication (Dtac) and CP Group’s True Corporation.

The offer of 47.76 baht ($1.45) a share represents a premium of 15.8% to Dtac’s last close as of Friday and the offer of 5.09 baht ($0.1549) a share represents a premium of 17.8% to True’s close on Friday.

Telenor and C.P. group will aim for an ownership share of around one-third each in the merged entity, the company said.

Shares of both Dtac and True were up on Monday.

The combined company will be listed on the Thai stock exchange.