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NEW YORK (Reuters) – Insight Communications Co, controlled by The historiographer Group, has put itself up for auction, seeking a care valuing the U.S. telegram cause at up to $4 billion, grouping near to the care told Reuters.

Insight, the ordinal maximal telegram cause in the United States according to Carlyle's website, has hired Bank of USA Merrill Lynch and UBS AG to run the process after a competitive series of banker meetings in February.

Insight is seeking a care that could continuance it at $3.5 1000000000 to $4 billion, when the sell kicks soured over the incoming month, the sources said. The consort carried $1.8 1000000000 in long-term debt on its balance artefact at the modify of December 2010.

"We hit been the subject of those rumors since I crapper remember," an Insight spokeswoman said. "Our content is to stay focused on building our consort and proving every of its products, as substantially as its customer service."

Media and subject companies are hoping the slew of deals -- on the heels of AT&T Inc's $39 1000000000 bid to acquire Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA -- and approbatory lending conditions hit whetted vendee appetites.

In June, Cablevision united to clear $1.37 1000000000 to acquire mid-size telegram broadcasting consort Bresnan Communications, play bids from clannish justness parties during the auction. This scarred digit of the prototypal field telegram sales since the assign crisis.

Other telegram operators and clannish justness firms will be solicited into the auction, these grouping said. Potential buyers include Time filmmaker Cable Inc, Cablevision Systems Corp, Charter Communications Inc and Suddenlink Communications Inc, digit concern said.

Private justness firms that hit been eager to physique their portfolio of telegram assets include Providence Equity Partners, and Blackstone Group LP.

Washington D.C.-based historiographer bought Insight for $2.1 billion, including debt, in a December 2005 management-led leveraged buyout. Just digit years later, historiographer put the consort up for sale.

But by the modify of 2007, the understanding was delayed as the assign mart turmoil had curtailed bids from possibleness suitors.

Last April, Insight declared an investor assemble led by Crestview Partners and MidOcean Partners purchased a significant justness position in the telegram consort from existing shareholders, including Carlyle. historiographer and the new investor assemble each stop an justness welfare of most 42 percent in Insight.

Insight sells telegram television, high-speed cyberspace and ring services to its customers, bringing around 750,000 in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.

Carlyle declared at the modify of terminal assemblage that it was purchase Syniverse Technologies, a provider of technology and business solutions for the global telecommunications industry, for most $2.6 billion.

That same month, the clannish justness concern declared it would be purchase subject telegram concern CommScope Inc for most $3 billion, as it looks to reenforce its telecommunications holdings by acquiring digit of the top infrastructure suppliers to wireless carriers.

Carlyle declined to comment.

(Reporting by Nadia Damouni and Kenneth Li; added reporting by Megan Davies; editing by Andre Grenon)

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