Tata in talks to buy T-Systems stake - magazine

FRANKFURT, Mar 22 (Reuters) Tata Group conglomerate is in concrete talks about buying a stake in Deutsche Telekom's business unit, T-Systems, German business weekly Focus Online reported on Thursday.

Focus said Tata, which has made a series of foreign acquisitions in the past years, was examining T-Systems' books.

T-Systems, which has said recently it is looking for a strategic partner to strengthen its international business but is not up for sale, was not immediately available for comment.

A spokesman for Deutsche Telekom said the company did not comment on speculation.

Tata's products range from salt to software. Its IT arm, Tata Consultancy Services , is India's top software services exporter and made sales of 112.8 billion rupees ( billion) in its last financial year.

T-Systems is Deutsche Telekom's smallest unit with a staff of 56,000. It provides Internet and telecommunications services for businesses.

Last year it had revenues of 12.6 billion euros and an adjusted operating profit of 1.23 billion euros.

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