Brazil’s Oi completes two more asset disposals

Troubled Brazilian operator Oi has hit another landmark its ongoing corporate restructuring and asset disposal push, with the disposal of both its fibre broadband and pay-TV businesses.

This disposal of the two key business units includes the long-anticipated sale of Oi’s fibre broadband unit ClientCo to V.tal. This was apparently confirmed on Wednesday last week.

V.tal, of which Oi is a minority shareholder, offered BRL5.68 billion (about US$981 million) last September in a largely share swap transaction.

As the BNamericas news service points out, in 2021 funds linked to investment bank BTG Pactual acquired control of Oi's fibre infrastructure and network to create V.tal.

V.tal, which operates as a neutral, wholesale fibre provider, will make the retail Oi Fibre operation a separate business unit. The purchase of the Oi operation apparently marks its debut as a direct broadband operator.

At the end of January, Oi’s broadband client base stood at 4.3 million, accounting for 8.4% of the market.

The other sale involved the acquisition of the telco's pay-TV unit, Oi TV, by Mileto Tecnologia, a company created in October last year for the acquisition of pay-TV assets from Oi. Mileto Tecnologia emerged as the winner in an auction held in February.

It will pay up to BRL30 million (about US$5.2 million) for the asset, a third within 60 days of deal completion. The remaining payment will depend on the number of active subscribers within approximately two years.