Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP (Freshfields) is advising Tunisie Telecom on the acquisition of GO plc (GO). Tunisie Telecom will proceed with a voluntary offer for the issued share capital of GO  to be launched pursuant to Chapter 11 of the Listing Rules issued by the Malta Financial Services Authority.

Founded more than 165 years ago, Tunisie Telecom is the fully integrated telecom services operator in Tunisia, with leading market positions across all segments with over 7 million customers and an employee base of approximately 7,500. Tunisie Telecom offers the largest mobile coverage in the country and owns and operates a nationwide fixed and fiber network infrastructure. This is complemented by an extensive submarine cable network allowing for direct and fully redundant connectivity with Europe, Africa and Asia. Tunisie Telecom’s service offering ranges from 4G mobile broadband to Fiber-To-The-Home and Fiber-To-The-Building as well as cloud and IP-MPLS solutions for enterprises.

GO is Malta’s first quadruple play operator, a truly converged and integrated communications and entertainment company with a wide range of services. As Malta’s leading provider of telecommunications services, GO offers fixed and mobile telephony, broadband internet services, digital TV, in addition to business-related services including data networking solutions, IP services, managed services and co-location facilities. GO powers over 500,000 customer connections and services making it the largest communications provider in Malta. GO has been in the business of communications for the past 30 years. GO owns a 51% stake in Cablenet, the fastest growing broadband operator in Cyprus.

The Freshfields team is being led by corporate partner Pervez Akhtar who said, ‘It’s fantastic to be involved in this transaction and process in what is always a dynamic sector, especially when multiple bidders are involved. The transaction plays to our strengths in telecoms M&A, our experience guiding our clients through competitive auction processes and our ability to work on a cross-border basis. Having worked for Tunisian companies investing overseas and on transactions in Tunisia, for a number of years, I am personally very pleased to have the opportunity to be involved. GO is a successful player in the telecoms space, an important strategic investment for Tunisie Telecom and will be very well positioned for future growth going forward.’