Telkom Indonesia is conducting due diligence on a deal to acquire a substantial 27% stake in one of New Zealand's major mobile operators.
TheJakarta Postreports that Telkom is confident it will be successful in its bid to buy into the New Zealand company.
Several reports have asserted that the New Zealand operator in question is Spark. But Telkom Indonesia's president director declined to confirm these rumors to the Post, citing a confidentiality agreement.
Spark is the new name for Telecom New Zealand, the nation's largest telco and former state-owned monopoly. Telecom NZ rebranded as Spark in August to reflect that the company has moved far beyond the home telephone since its inception in 1987.
Spark is New Zealand's largest telco but not its largest mobile operator, with Vodafone New Zealand ranking slightly ahead by market share. The other possible target is relative newcomer 2degrees, which entered the market in 2009.
Telkom also recently acquired a controlling stake in Australian BPO provider Contact Centers Australia, and considers Australia and New Zealand to be important markets for the operator's international expansion drive.
As part of this effort, Telkom aims to have a presence in 10 countries outside its home market by the end of the year.