MWEB up for grabs
Multinational media company Naspers (NPN) announced on Monday that, following approaches for the sale of its internet service provider (ISP) business MWEB, it is initiating an auction process.
MWEB is one of the largest residential internet service providers in SA and also owns the largest VSAT corporate internet base in sub-Saharan Africa.
Naspers noted that in order to exploit its market leadership position in a rapidly growing broadband environment, MWEB is planning to invest in wireless broadband.
"This strategy, focusing on connectivity, diverges from Naspers’s core focus of online content platforms, communities and commerce. Naspers owns no ISP elsewhere in the world.
"It holds internet investments in 24.com, Tencent, Mail.ru and Gadu-Gadu, the leading online communities and communication businesses in SA, China, Russia and Poland, respectively. Via the recent acquisition of Tradus, it now owns leading e- commerce platforms in central and Eastern Europe.
"In addition, Ibibo in India, Sanook! in Thailand and MXit in SA continue to grow their online communities. However, none of them have ISP components," Naspers said.
"Citigroup has been appointed as financial advisor regarding interests expressed by several potential investors," it added.
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