Item 1. Security and Issuer
Telecom Italia S.p.A. (“TI”) hereby amends and supplements its report on Schedule 13D, as filed on October 22, 2010 and amended on March 10, 2011 (the “Schedule 13D”) with respect to the Class B shares, P$1.00 par value per share (the “Shares”), of Telecom Argentina S.A., an Argentinean corporation (the “Issuer”), a portion of which is represented by American Depositary Shares which are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”). The principal executive offices of the Issuer are located at Alicia Moreau de Justo 50, 10th floor, 1107 Buenos Aires, Argentina. Unless otherwise indicated, capitalized terms used in this Amendment No. 2 (the “Amendment”), but not defined herein, shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the Schedule 13D.
Item 3. Source and Amount of Funds or Other Consideration
This Amendment relates to the block trade in the Acquired Shares (as defined below) executed on October 27, 2011 (the “Purchase”) by MBA Lazard Sociedad de Bolsa S.A. (“MBA Lazard”), in the name and on behalf of Inversiones Milano S.A., a subsidiary of TI (which owns 10% of its capital stock) and Telecom Italia International (which owns 90% of its capital stock), in the process of changing its corporate name to Tierra Argentea S.A. (the “Purchaser”), as described in Item 4 below. Through the Purchase,14,480,000 Shares were purchased (the “Acquired Shares”), with settlement for such Acquired Shares taking place on November 1, 2011 and the aggregate purchase price for the block trade in the Acquired Shares was Ps 296,840,000. The funds used to purchase the Acquired Shares were provided under a senior secured credit facility dated as of October 25, 2011 (the “Credit Agreement”) with BBVA Banco Francés S.A., as arranger and agent and initial lender, to be secured by a pledge over the Acquired Shares as well as other security. The Credit Agreement is attached hereto as Exhibit 1.
Item 4. Purpose of Transaction
Item 4 of the Schedule 13D is hereby amended and supplemented by the following information:
Under an instruction letter dated October 25, 2011 (the “Instruction Letter”), the Purchaser authorized MBA Lazard to purchase up to 17.3 million Shares in a block trade and agreed to pay to MBA Lazard a fee equal to 1% of the Purchase Price (as defined below), plus VAT and related expenses, upon completion of the Purchase. In accordance with the Instruction Letter, on October 27, 2011 the Purchaser gave an irrevocable purchase order (the “Purchase Order”) to MBA Lazard confirming the proposed acquisition of up to 14.5 million Shares at a maximum price of Ps 20.50 per Share. On the same day MBA Lazard, in the name and on behalf of the Purchaser, purchased 14,480,000 Shares at a price of Ps 20.50 per Share, for a total purchase price of Ps 296,840,000 (the “Purchase Price”), from Mandatos PPP S.A.
TI has indirectly purchased the Acquired Shares in order to increase its economic interest in the Issuer, following the acquisition of an indirect control stake in October 2010. The Purchase does not affect TI’s indirect control of the Issuer.
As disclosed previously, TI, TII or one of their subsidiaries or affiliates may at any time, if and when opportunities arise, make further purchases of equity interests in Sofora, Nortel or the Issuer through open market or privately negotiated transactions or otherwise, which may further increase their direct or indirect stake in the Issuer.
The foregoing description of the Instruction Letter and the Purchase Order does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the English language summary of the Instruction Letter and the Purchase Order, which is attached hereto as Exhibit 2 and is incorporated by reference herein.
Except as set forth herein and in the Schedule 13D, none of TI, TII, Sofora or Nortel has any plan or proposals that relate to or would result in any of the transactions described in subparagraphs (a) through (j) of Item 4 of Schedule 13D.
Item 5. Interest in Securities of the Issuer
Item 5(a) of the Schedule 13D is hereby amended and supplemented by the following information:
(a) Following completion of the Purchase, TI indirectly controls 51,312,408 Shares.
Item 5(b) of the Schedule 13D is hereby amended and supplemented by the following information:
(b) Nortel has sole power to vote and to dispose of 36,832,408 Shares and the Purchaser has sole power to vote and to dispose of 14,480,000 Shares.
Item 6. Contracts, Arrangements, Understandings or Relationships with Respect to Securities of the Issuer
Item 6 of the Schedule 13D is hereby amended and supplemented by the following information.
As described in Item 4 above, the Instruction Letter and the Purchase Order relate to the acquisition by MBA Lazard of Shares in the name and on behalf of the Purchaser, and provide for payment by the Purchaser to MBA Lazard of a fee equal to 1% of the Purchase Price plus VAT and expenses. Upon completion of the Purchase, MBA Lazard will also receive from the Purchaser a fee equal to 0.25% of the Purchase Price as consideration for the advisory services performed in relation to the Purchase.
Item 7. Material to be Filed as Exhibits
Item 7 of the Schedule 13D is hereby amended to add the following exhibit:
Exhibit 1: Credit Agreement dated October 25, 2011 between Inversiones Milano S.A. and BBVA Banco Francés S.A., as arranger and agent, and the banks and financial institutions named therein as Lenders.
Exhibit 2: English language summary of the Instruction Letter and the Purchase Order, dated as of October 25, 2011 and October 27, 2011, respectively, between the Purchaser and MBA Lazard.
SIGNATURES
After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.
| October 31, 2011 | |
| Date | |
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| /s/ Antonino Cusimano | |
| Signature | |
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| Antonino Cusimano General Counsel TELECOM ITALIA S.P.A. | |
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| Date | |
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| /s/ Francesco Saverio Lobianco | |
| Signature | |
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| Francesco Saverio Lobianco Chief Executive Officer TELECOM ITALIA INTERNATIONAL N.V. | |
| October 31, 2011 | |
| Date | |
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| /s/ Franco Livini | |
| Signature | |
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| Franco Livini Chairman of the Board of Directors SOFORA TELECOMUNICACIONES S.A. | |
| October 31, 2011 | |
| Date | |
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| /s/ Franco Livini | |
| Signature | |
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| Franco Livini Chairman of the Board of Directors NORTEL INVERSORA S.A | |
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