Asterion makes binding offer for Irideos

The Spanish owner of Italian telecommunications company Retelit SpA is among the bidders for network and service provider Irideos SpA, according to people familiar with the matter.

Madrid-based Asterion Industrial Partners, Retelit’s private equity owner, submitted a binding offer last week for Irideos that could value it at as much as 400 million euros ($429 million), the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. Irideos, based in Milan, also has received binding offers from two other investment firms, the people said.

Irideos is controlled by the Italian infrastructure fund F2i Sgr SpA.

Representatives for Retelit, Irideos and F2i declined to comment. A spokesperson for Asterion wasn’t available outside regular business hours.

Fiber-network operator Retelit is fully owned by Asterion, which last year took it over and delisted it. The company had traded on the Milan Stock Exchange since 2000.

Retelit operates about 16,000 kilometers (10,000 miles) of fiber-optic cables, 12 metropolitan networks in Italy and 19 data centers, according to the its website. Retelit also provides telecommunications services in Italy for the US military at bases in Naples, Vicenza and Aviano. MSN