(Bloomberg) -- EQT AB, the European private equity firm, is considering a takeover of Dutch phone company Royal KPN NV in what would be its largest-ever acquisition, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The buyout firm is in the early stages of discussing the feasibility of a deal with potential advisers, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. Shares of KPN have fallen 15% in Amsterdam trading this year, giving the company a market value of about 9.4 billion euros ($11.1 billion).

No final decisions have been made, and there’s no certainty that EQT’s deliberations will lead to an offer, the people said. Any suitor would want to win the backing of KPN management and the Dutch government after the former telecom monopoly previously fought off an unwanted takeover.

Representatives for EQT and KPN declined to comment.

KPN, which is valued at about 16 billion euros including debt, has reported declining revenue for more than a decade. Its shares are trading near an all-time low amid fierce competition from regional giants like Vodafone Group Plc.

The company appointed Joost Farwerck as chief executive officer a year ago. He took over a business that was cost cutting and in search of new revenue streams to ease competitive pressures in its home market, where rivals have been merging.

KPN has attracted multiple suitors in the past. It rebuffed a takeover bid in 2013 from its largest shareholder, America Movil SAB, the Latin American wireless operator controlled by billionaire Carlos Slim. Early last year, Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management Inc. was considering making an offer in conjunction with Dutch pension funds, Bloomberg News reported at the time. That bid never materialized.

Stockholm-based EQT teamed up with Digital Colony Partners to acquire fiber network owner Zayo Group Holdings Inc. in an $8 billion deal completed in March. It also has investments in Dutch telecom provider Delta Fiber, German broadband provider Deutsche Glasfaser and Maltese operator Melita.

The private equity firm is in the process of raising its fifth dedicated infrastructure fund and last month set a 15 billion-euro limit on the vehicle.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.