FRANKFURT (AFX) - Deutsche Telekom AG plans to sell up to five of its call centres to Bertelsmann's unit Arvato for a sum in the lower hundreds of million of euros according to an article in Handelsblatt to be published on Monday, citing unnamed industry sources.
The newspaper said a preliminary agreement between the two companies has already been signed.
A Deutsche Telekom spokesman said the company does not comment on 'negotiations that are currently running'.
Around 1,300 Deutsche Telekom workers, employed by the company's Vivento Customer Service (VCS) would be affected by the sale, according the the newspaper.
Bertelmann said 'Arvato is regularly in talks with customers in the service industry. This goes for the entire sector, including service centres, where VCS is an important player. If these talks lead to substantial changes, we will inform the public at that time.' Tyler.Sitte@thomson.com ts/hjp COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News. AFX News and AFX Financial News Logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited