Xavier Niel is sounding out a takeover of South American operator Millicom, which would take the longtime telco investor into a new geography with promising growth prospects. Meanwhile, in Europe, where many operators are downsizing and retrenching, Niel’s European telco Iliad is reporting high levels of growth – and another small challenger is sweeping the continent: Romania’s Digi Communications. Niel’s investment vehicle Atlas Investissement is discussing a full takeover of Millicom International Cellular, a multinational Latin American operator that operates in nine countries. Atlas already has a 29.1% interest in Millicom, after steadily increasing its holding since late 2022, now it is considering extending this to a complete private takeover. This would be an all-cash offer, pricing Millicom shares at…