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BT Group to sell Irish business

BT Group is looking to sell its Irish corporate business, according to a Sky News report.

The report said that BT was working with bankers at Citi on a potential sale of the unit, which is in its early stages.

If the deal goes through it will be one of new chief executive Allison Kirkby's first significant actions as she works towards meeting a cost savings target of £3 billion by the end of 2025 under the company’s turnaround plan.

BT Ireland is an alternative fixed-line communications provider with more than 650 employees, serving business and wholesale customers, including Vodafone, Sky, Three and Bank of Ireland.

It owns and operates a full-service, fixed telecom network and has a high-capacity fibre network across Ireland.

BT reached a preliminary agreement to sell the business to Mayfair Equity Partners in 2019, but the talks fell apart the following year. At the time, the unit was valued at between €300m and €400m.

A BT Group spokesperson said: "We continually review our operations to ensure they align with our global strategy. We have an excellent business in Ireland and no decisions have been taken."

Kirkby became BT’s first female boss in its 177-year history on 1 February when she replaced outgoing chief executive Philip Jansen.

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