Altice France extends exclusivity talks with Bouygues, Orange and iliad
May 15, 2026 08.36 Europe/London By Julian Clover


Altice France has extended the exclusivity period granted to Bouygues Telecom, Orange and the iliad Group until June 5 as discussions continue over a potential break-up deal for the company’s telecoms assets.

The three operators submitted a revised joint offer on April 17 valuing the Altice France assets under consideration at an enterprise value of €20.35 billion.

The initial exclusivity period had been due to expire on May 15.

In a brief statement, Altice France said discussions with the consortium remained “constructive”, although it cautioned there was still no certainty an agreement would be reached.

The proposed transaction would represent one of the biggest restructurings of the French telecoms market in years.

As previously reported by Broadband TV News, Patrick Drahi’s Altice group has been under pressure to reduce debt following the sharp rise in interest rates and wider financial challenges facing the group.

Any agreement would likely involve the division of SFR assets between Bouygues Telecom, Orange and Free, potentially reshaping competition in the French mobile and broadband sectors.

The talks have been closely watched across the wider European telecoms industry because they could reduce the number of major mobile operators in France and potentially trigger significant regulatory scrutiny from both French and European competition authorities.