LONDON (Reuters) - Private equity firms Carlyle (>> The Carlyle Group LP) and Cinven [CINV.UL] have launched a sale of 5.5 million shares in European cable and telecoms company Altice (>> ALTICE), in an accelerated bookbuild, bookrunner Goldman Sachs (>> Goldman Sachs Group Inc) said in a statement on Monday.

The placement, representing 2.2 percent of the company's outstanding share capital, will be launched immediately and will be run by Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan (>> JPMorgan Chase & Co.).

(Reporting By Freya Berry; editing by Clare Hutchison)