APX Blackrock Apex Municipal Fund,

Buyout firms have "accelerated" discussions with lenders about financing possible bids for U.K. mobile operator Everything Everywhere, the Financial Times reported Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE.XE), which co-owns the venture with France Telecom (FTE.FR, FTE), reaffirmed that the owners will "consider different options with an IPO as the preferred option."

The report said Apax Partners (APX.YY) and KKR & Co. (KKR) are working on a potential bid, while another effort includes Blackstone Group LP (BX) and CVC Capital Partners Ltd. (CVC.YY).

Everything Everywhere could receive bids of 10 billion pounds ($15.67 billion), the FT reported.

Website: www.ft.com

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