Control conundrum

One can see the appeal of a link-up between Deutsche Telekom and MTS, Russia’s biggest mobile group. But the control issue is so fraught with complications that it is hard to see how a deal could actually come to fruition. The idea under discussion would involve MTS being sold to DT, according to the FT Deutschland. Sistema, the Russian conglomerate that owns MTS, would in return receive a 10% -20% stake in DT. Expanding into Russia may well seem attractive to Kai-Uwe Ricke, DT’s chief executi...