FRANCE TELECOM has yet again sparked speculation that it is about to tap the syndicated loan market for a jumbo credit with the appointment of Credit Suisse First Boston, NM Rothschild & Son and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter as advisers for its potential bid for the UK cellular phone operator Orange. Talk of a large syndicated loan for France Télécom has circulated since Vodafone Airtouch won control of Mannesmann, the German phone operator that bought out Orange in the last quarter of 1999. Twice this year it seemed as if the French telco was on the verge of tapping the market for a blockbuster transaction. Each time, France Télécom and its bankers distanced themselves from any deal.
April 07, 2000