T-Mobile’s Cell-Tower Sale Is Said To Attract Bidders

T-Mobile USA Inc. received a second round of bids for its cellular towers, attracting offers from companies such as American Tower Corp. (AMT) and Crown Castle International Corp. (CCI), a person with knowledge of the deal said.

The unit of Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE), which owns about 7,000 antenna towers in the U.S., has also received bids from private- equity firms, said the person, who asked not to be named because the discussions aren’t public. Selling the assets could raise about $2 billion, according to Kevin Smithen, an analyst with Macquarie Capital in New York.

Deutsche Telekom set out to sell T-Mobile USA’s towers after a failed takeover of the carrier by AT&T Inc. last year. The deal would help the company raise money for wireless spectrum and network enhancements, while allowing T-Mobile to rent back antenna space on the towers. The new owner could then use the assets to provide service to other carriers as well.

“I expect they will announce a winner in July and probably close the deal by September,” Smithen quoted by Blommberg.

Deutsche Telekom appointed the New York boutique bank TAP Advisors LLC to search for a tower buyer and raise cash, Bloomberg reported in March.