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Sonera attracts partners
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August 29, 2000: 6:01 a.m. ET
Finnish telecom firm discusses tie-up, expects to strike deal by year-end
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LONDON (CNNfn) - Sonera Oyj has drawn interest from six contenders interested in forming a tie-up with the Finnish telecommunications company, Deputy Chief Executive Kaj-Erik Relander said Tuesday, but he warned the firm had not yet entered full-fledged talks about a deal.
"It's still early days," Relander told Reuters, but he said concluding a deal by the end of 2000 was "a realistic timetable".
The Financial Times earlier quoted Relander as saying the Finnish government was not likely to sell its 53 percent stake in the company, although it was prepared to see its stake reduced in proportion to new investment from an outside partner.
France Telecom SA (PFTE) and Spain's Telefónica SA have said they were interested in Sonera. The FT also said Germany's Deutsche Telekom AG (FDTE) and Britain's Vodafone AirTouch PLC are seen as potential bidders.
In Helsinki, shares of Sonera rose  1.17, or 3.2 percent, to 38.30 Tuesday morning.
The mobile-phone specialist, which has won licenses to offer next-generation cellphone services in Germany, Spain and Finland, is likely to be coveted for its cutting-edge mobile-phone service Internet portal and its e-commerce software, which allows for secure transactions.
Relander said Sonera was not considering any deal that would separate part of the Finnish company from the rest of the business. "It is a whole package so there is no intention in any way of dividing the whole company," he told Reuters. 
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Sonera
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