T-Mobile to offload wireline business to Cogent, expects $1 billion pre-tax charge

T-Mobile US, Inc. said that it had agreed to sell its wireline business to Cogent Communications Holdings, Inc. in a deal that would also see Cogent provide some services to the carrier for a fee.

T-Mobile said it expected to record a pre-tax charge of about $1 billion in the third quarter of 2022 to cover the carrying value of the wireline business and a liability for the contractual payments of the transaction.

Cogent will acquire T-Mobile’s fiber and related assets and certain liabilities associated with the business, helping it bolster its offering to consumers and enterprises, it said in a statement.

Once the transaction is closed, the parties will enter into a separate agreement pursuant to which Cogent will offer certain services to T-Mobile for $700 million, to be paid in tranches.

The deal will go through a newly formed direct subsidiary of Cogent, which said it did not plan to issue new debt or equity to finance the acquisition.

Cogent added that the deal was not expected to be dilutive to its existing stockholders and that the company would continue to maintain its current dividend plan.

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