(Telecompaper) Orange and Bouygues signed a confidentiality agreement on 24 December 2015 which marks the start of their official talks about Orange's potential acquisition of Bouygues Telecom, writes Journal du Dimanche, citing several unnamed sources. The deal under discussion would value Bouygues Telecom at about EUR 10 billion. Orange would pay EUR 8 billion with an around 15 percent Orange stake and the remainder in cash. The French government's stake in Orange would be diluted to slightly under 20 percent or more if the state investment company BPI sells part of its holding.