Telenet buys Belgium mobile operator BASE for €1.3bn

The Dutch telecom group KPN said Monday it was selling its Belgian mobile phone operator BASE to cable group Telenet for 1.325 billion euros ($1.43 billion).

The deal -- which will have to be approved by regulators -- with allow Telenet, owned by the US giant Liberty Global, to offer mobile, fixed line and internet services in Belgium.

CEO John Porter said, "Through the acquisition of BASE we have made a significant step to secure long-term mobile access conditions, ensuring we are well positioned to effectively compete for the future growth opportunity of mobile data."

BASE is the third biggest mobile operator in the country behind Proximus and Mobistar, and has 3.3 million subscribers, with a turnover of 690 millions euros in 2014.