Information on this page is updated via a feed from the London Stock Exchange's Regulatory News Service.
RNS Number:4018X
Telefonica SA
24 January 2006
For immediate release
Not for release, publication or distribution in or into the United States,
Canada, Australia or Japan
24 January 2006
RECOMMENDED CASH OFFER
BY
GOLDMAN SACHS INTERNATIONAL
AND
CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS LIMITED
ON BEHALF OF
TELEFONICA, S.A.
FOR
O2 PLC
Level of Acceptances
Further to Telefonica's announcement on 23 January 2006 declaring the Offer
unconditional in all respects, Telefonica announces that as at 5.00 p.m. (London
time) on 24 January 2006 valid acceptances have been received in respect of a
total of 6,899,044,466 O2 Shares, representing approximately 78.64 per cent. of
O2's issued share capital. (Of these valid acceptances, valid elections for the
Loan Note Alternative had been received in respect of a total of 84,734,686 O2
Shares, representing approximately 0.96 per cent. of O2's issued share capital.)
None of these acceptances were received from persons acting in concert with
Telefonica.
On 31 October 2005 Telefonica announced that it had received irrevocable
undertakings to accept the Offer in respect of a total of 2,820,701 O2 Shares,
representing approximately 0.032 per cent. of O2's issued share capital. On 13
December 2005 Telefonica announced that valid acceptances have been received in
respect of all of these O2 Shares.
As a result of purchases, Telefonica holds 747,606,107 O2 Shares representing
approximately 8.52 per cent. of O2's issued share capital. Settlement of the
purchase of 312,000,000 O2 Shares included in this figure has yet to occur.
Prior to the Offer being made, Casiopea Reaseguradora, S.A., a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Telefonica and deemed to be acting in concert with Telefonica,
held 14,422 O2 Shares, representing 0.0002 per cent. of O2's issued share
capital (which are not included in the paragraph below).
Accordingly, as at 5.00 p.m. (London time) on 24 January 2006, Telefonica and
its wholly-owned subsidiaries owned (including the purchase of the 312,000,000
O2 Shares referred to above, settlement of which has yet to occur) or had
received valid acceptances in respect of a total of 7,646,650,573 O2 Shares,
representing approximately 87.16 per cent. of O2's issued share capital.
Acceptance of the Offer
O2 Shareholders who wish to accept the Offer and who have not already done so
should:
1. in respect of O2 Shares in certificated form, complete, sign
and return the Form of Acceptance, in accordance with the instructions set
out in the Offer Document and in the Form of Acceptance, so as to be
received by Lloyds TSB Registrars (at Princess House, 1 Suffolk Lane,
London EC4R 0AX) as soon as possible;
2. in respect of O2 Shares in uncertificated form (that is, in CREST), accept
electronically through CREST, in accordance with the instructions set out
in the Offer Document, so that the TTE instruction settles as soon as
possible. O2 Shareholders holding O2 Shares as a CREST sponsored member
should refer to their CREST sponsor as only the CREST sponsor will be able
to send the necessary TTE instruction to CREST; and
3. in respect of holdings through the O2 Easyshare service, instruct O2
Easyshare NomineeCo to accept the Offer on their behalf, by completing,
signing and returning the Form of Instruction, in accordance with the
instructions set out in the Offer Document and in the Form of Instruction,
so as to be received by Lloyds TSB Registrars (at The Causeway, Worthing,
West Sussex BN99 6DA) as soon as possible.
Offer Document
Copies of the Offer Document are available from Lloyds TSB Registrars at
Princess House, 1 Suffolk Lane, London EC4R 0AX.
Terms defined in the offer document dated 21 November 2005 (the 'Offer Document'
for the purposes of this announcement) shall have the same meanings in this
announcement.
- ends -
ENQUIRIES
Lloyds TSB Registrars Tel: 0800 169 6946 (if calling from within the United
Kingdom)
Tel: +44 121 415 7593 (if calling from outside the
United Kingdom)
Telefonica Tel: +34 91 584 4700
Investor Relations Office
Citigroup Global Markets Limited - London Tel: +44 (0)20 7986 4000
Mark Simonian
William Kennish
Matthew Smith
Citigroup Global Markets Limited - Madrid Tel: +34 91 538 4080
Ignacio Gutierrez Orrantia
Goldman Sachs International - London Tel: +44 (0)20 7774 1000
Luca Ferrari
Phil Raper (Corporate Broking)
Goldman Sachs International - Madrid Tel: +34 91 700 6000
David Jimenez-Blanco
Juande Gomez-Villalba
Hudson Sandler Tel: +44 (0)20 7796 4133
Andrew Hayes Fax: +44 (0)20 7796 3480
Sandrine Gallien
Goldman Sachs International, which is authorised and regulated in the United
Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority, is acting exclusively for
Telefonica and no one else in connection with the matters described in this
announcement and is not advising any other person and accordingly will not be
responsible to any person other than Telefonica for providing the protections
afforded to clients of Goldman Sachs International or for providing advice in
relation to the matters described in this announcement.
Citigroup Global Markets Limited, which is authorised and regulated in the
United Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority, is acting exclusively for
Telefonica and no one else in connection with the matters described in this
announcement and is not advising any other person and accordingly will not be
responsible to any person other than Telefonica for providing the protections
afforded to clients of Citigroup Global Markets Limited or for providing advice
in relation to the matters described in this announcement.
This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, any offer for, or any
solicitation of any offer for, securities. Any acceptance or other response to
the Offer should be made only on the basis of information referred to in the
Offer Document.
The availability of the Offer to persons who are not resident in the United
Kingdom may be affected by the laws of their relevant jurisdiction. Such
persons should inform themselves of, and observe, any applicable legal or
regulatory requirements of their jurisdiction. Further details in relation to
Overseas Shareholders are contained in the Offer Document.
Unless otherwise determined by Telefonica, the Offer is not being, and will not
be, made, directly or indirectly, in or into or by the use of the mails of, or
by any means or instrumentality (including, without limitation, telephonically
or electronically) of interstate or foreign commerce of, or through any
facilities of a national securities exchange of, the United States, Canada,
Australia or Japan or any other jurisdiction if to do so would constitute a
violation of the relevant laws of such jurisdiction, and the Offer should not be
accepted by any such use, means, instrumentality or facilities or from or within
the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan or any such other jurisdiction.
Accordingly, copies of this announcement are not being, and must not be mailed
or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent in, into or from the United States,
Canada, Australia or Japan and all persons receiving this announcement
(including nominees, trustees and custodians) must not mail or otherwise
forward, distribute or send it in, into or from the United States, Canada,
Australia or Japan. Doing so may render invalid any purported acceptance of the
Offer. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Telefonica will retain the right to
permit the Offer to be accepted and any sale of securities pursuant to the Offer
to be completed if, in its sole discretion, it is satisfied that the transaction
in question can be undertaken in compliance with applicable law and regulation.
The Loan Notes will not be made available to O2 Shareholders in the United
States, Canada, Australia or Japan or any other jurisdiction in respect of which
the issue of Loan Notes would be unlawful.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
OUPVZLFLQFBXBBK