T-Mobile is taking over the Dutch operations of Tele2, a move that brings together the number 3 and 4 players on the telecoms market in The Netherlands.
T-Mobile will pay EUR190 million, while Tele2’s Swedish holding Tele2 Sverige AB will receive a 25% share in the combined company.
The new company, which will be known as T-Mobile, will have 4.5 million customers in the Netherlands. The merger, which reduces the number of players on the Dutch telecoms market to three, still has to be approved by the competition authorities.
This is the second acquisition in the Netherlands after T-Mobile bought the assets of Vodafone Thuis. The joint new company will have three different TV offers, the IPTv services T-Mobile Thuis and Tele2, as well as the OTT platform Knippr.
“I congratulate all our customers and everyone who needs a better alternative. With this step we are creating new opportunities,” said Søren Abildgaard, CEO T-Mobile Netherlands.
“The duo has had free play for far too long and until now they have got away with this game with only one loser: the customer. This is a thing of the past from today. No more. Never again. By joining forces with Tele2, we can compete much more efficiently and offer Dutch customers an alternative. We will never stop breaking conventions and we will continue to challenge the sector in the coming years “.
The news follows one day after T-Mobile US said it acquired the disruptive start-up Layer3 TV to attack cable.
