Deutsche Telekom bulks up T-Mobile US stake as it sells Dutch unit

Deutsche Telekom struck a share-swap cope with Softbank to extend its stake in U.S. unit T-Cell and bought its Dutch unit in a serious restructuring of pursuits that strengthens the German group’s transatlantic focus.

Because of the 2 offers introduced on Tuesday, Deutsche Telekom will increase its stake in T-Cell US by 5.3% to 48.4%, bringing CEO Tim Hoettges nearer in direction of his objective of securing direct majority management over the U.S. telecoms operator.

Softbank will in return obtain a 4.5% stake in Deutsche Telekom, establishing a direct shareholding relationship after Softbank bought its U.S. Dash unit to T-Cell in a deal that closed in early 2020.

In a separate deal, Deutsche Telekom bought its Dutch unit T-Cell Netherlands to a consortium of personal fairness homes Apax and Warburg Pincus for five.1 billion euros ($6.05 billion).

Deutsche Telekom acquired management of the Dutch enterprise from Sweden’s Tele2 in 2018 however by no means thought-about the unit, which ranked a distant third behind market leaders KPN and Vodafone Ziggo, as a core asset.

Deutsche Telekom will make investments a few of its 3.8 billion euros in proceeds from the Dutch deal to lift its stake in T-Cell US. Sweden’s Tele2, which had retained a 25% stake in T-Cell Netherlands, additionally bought out.