Tele2 and Deutsche Telekom have agreed to sell T-Mobile Netherlands to funds advised by Apax Partners and Warburg Pincus for an enterprise value of €5.1 billion.
Commenting on the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and consultation with employee representatives, Tele2’s president and CEO Kjell Johnsen said: “We are very happy with the development of our strategic ownership in T-Mobile Netherlands during the last few years. I am proud of the achievements of our colleagues in the Netherlands and I am sure they can come even further together with Apax and Warburg Pincus. This successful sale will conclude Tele2’s international consolidation and we will now continue our strategy to focus on our core operations in Sweden and the Baltics”.
Tele2 currently holds a 25% stake in T-Mobile Netherlands and the transaction implies an equity value of approximately €860 million (currently SEK8.8 billion) for its stake. Its board of directors intends to propose an extraordinary dividend of at least SEK11 per share, pending closing of the transaction and receival of cash proceeds.
Meanwhile, Telekom, which owns 75% of T-Mobile Netherlands, says that the transaction marks the completion of its strategic review of the company which was announced at the May 2021 Capital Markets Day and follows the €0.7 billion divesture of its Dutch mobile tower business earlier this year.
Upon closing of the transaction, Telekom will receive approximately €3.8 billion in cash proceeds from the transaction and deconsolidate T-Mobile Netherlands, which generated €2,008 million of revenues and €582 million of adjusted EBITDA Al in the year to June 30, 2021.
According to Thorsten Langheim, board member for USA and group Development Deutsche Telekom, and responsible for T-Mobile Netherlands, “Through our dedicated value creation plan and T-Mobile Netherland’s unique challenger mind-set, we have successfully transformed T-Mobile Netherlands into the fastest growing MNO in Europe. I am proud of what the entire Dutch Team lead by Soren Abildgaard has achieved through their relentless efforts and clear customer focus and I am thankful for the valuable support of Johan Andsjö as the leading member in the advisory board. In Apax and Warburg Pincus we are convinced we have found the perfect partners for T-Mobile Netherlands to take the company to the next level of growth and continue the FMC Challenger Strategy”.
Søren Abildgaard, CEO T-Mobile Netherlands, added: “We have come a long way to reposition T-Mobile NL as a winning player by driving innovation and change within the market, being the first mobile operator to offer Unlimited and nationwide 5G in the Netherlands. We believe that T-Mobile Netherlands today is better positioned than ever and as a management team we are excited to partner with Apax and Warburg Pincus to execute the next phase of our growth story”.
