U Mobile targets US$500mil from IPO

KUALA LUMPUR: U Mobile Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian mobile service provider, is planning to raise about US$500mil in an initial public offering in Kuala Lumpur, according to people familiar with the matter.

The wireless carrier has asked banks for proposals to help with the potential share sale, the people said.

The company is set to pick advisers soon for a listing that could happen as early as the end of 2020, said the people who asked not to be named as the information is private.

U Mobile, Malaysia’s fourth biggest mobile operator, is set to join home improvement retailer Mr DIY and bubble tea chain Loob Holding Sdn Bhd in planning a listing in the country in the coming year.

First-time share sales in Malaysia have rebounded and nearly tripled to US$452mil so far in 2019, from US$164mil for the same period last year.

That’s still short of the US$1.72bil of offering seen for the full year in 2017.

“U Mobile is in the process of planning an IPO and we are targeting to go public next year, ” chief executive officer Wong Heang Tuck said in an emailed response to questions. “However, the exact timing would be largely dependent on market conditions.”

Singapore’s Straits Mobile Investments Pte is U Mobile’s biggest shareholder with 35% stake, according to the company registry. Temasek Holdings Pte, Singapore’s state investment firm, holds Straits Mobile through a unit.

Other shareholders of U Mobile include Malaysian tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan and the ruler of Johor state, who hold 21% and 11%, respectively.

U Mobile has 16% of the country’s wireless subscription market, behind Digi.com Bhd. — Bloomberg

Source: TheStar