Orange Belgium’s acquisition of majority stake in VOO SA

Linklaters advised Orange Belgium SA in the framework of its acquisition, from Nethys, of 75% less one share of VOO SA. Orange Belgium SA, a company listed on Euronext Brussels, is one of the major telecommunication operators on the Belgian market and a subsidiary of the Orange Group, a world leader in telecommunication services companies.

Eric Pottier quotes “This marks the largest transaction in the Belgian telecom sector in 2021”.

The acquisition represents a major step forward in Orange Belgium's national convergent strategy. It will generate significant synergies, mainly related to the transfer of VOO's MVNO business to Orange Belgium's network. The transaction is based on an enterprise value of €1.8 billion for 100% of the capital.

The cable modernisation and fibre optic (FTTH) rollouts, and the pooling of the two companies' skills will strengthen the quality of VOO’s telecom network in the long term. Orange Belgium SA and Nethys SA will enter into a partnership whereby Orange Belgium will grant governance rights to Nethys SA to guarantee the implementation of the industrial and social project.

The Linklaters team was led by Eric Pottier and Jérémy Filbiche.

Orange’s press release can be found here.