Brazil's TIM may benefit from Telecom Italia's network sale

By Rodrigo Viga Gaier

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The chief executive of TIM Brasil, Alberto Griselli, said on Thursday that its parent company Telecom Italia's agreement to sell its physical network could provide an additional boost for its business in Brazil.

"Brazil is the group's priority; the crown jewel," he told Reuters on the outskirts of an innovation and technology event in Rio de Janeiro.

TIM Brasil is Telecom Italia's main business, generating around 35% of its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, a percentage that will increase, according to Griselli, after U.S. investment firm KKR obtained in late May EU approval to buy Telecom Italia's fixed-line network.

TIM invests an average of 4.5 billion reais ($837.8 million) in Brazil every year and, with the possibility of having fewer restrictions from its parent company, it could have more room to invest.

"The sale overseas makes our controller deleverage; as they deleverage, we have more flexibility in our capital structure here and thus more room for maneuver," said Griselli.

On Wednesday, Moody's raised Telecom Italia's credit rating to Ba3 and maintained a positive outlook following the deal's antitrust approval.

($1 = 5.3713 reais)

(Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier in Rio de Janeiro; writing by Luana Maria Benedito; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)