Deutsche Telekom has announced the purchase of two telecommunications companies in Poland from Macquarie Asset Management for an amount of 1 billion euros. These are the fiber optic operator Fiberhost and the retail broadband and television provider Inea, which significantly strengthens its position in the Polish market.
With this operation, the German group aims to reinforce the role of its subsidiary T-Mobile Polska in the country, incorporating more than 300,000 customers from Inea and the fiber network of Fiberhost, which currently reaches over 1.4 million homes.
"The operation marks a new step in the transformation of T-Mobile Polska, which is moving from being an exclusively mobile operator to a fully convergent telecommunications provider. Since signing its first wholesale access agreement in 2018, T-Mobile has expanded its fixed coverage through wholesale partners and has developed a convergent offering at the national level," reads a statement from the German company.
According to the company, the integration of the assets of both firms will make it possible to offer a "high-quality convergent proposition and compete more effectively" with operators that already have their own fixed infrastructure, which, ultimately, will result in better services for Polish users.
The final closing of the purchase is subject to obtaining the necessary approvals from the Polish competition authorities.
"This is an important milestone in the continuous growth trajectory of T-Mobile Polska. By combining strong mobile and fiber optic capabilities, we are creating an even better foundation to provide simple and reliable services to our customers. At the same time, it will allow T-Mobile Polska to expand its contribution to the digitalization of Poland and its economy," said the CEO of Telekom AG for Europe, Dominique Leroy.
"We are opening a new chapter in the trajectory of T-Mobile Polska. Our award-winning mobile network, our national backbone network, our data centers, and our fiber infrastructure will now be complemented by our own fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network, which will reach 1.4 million homes. Owning an FTTH network will allow us to further develop our successful portfolio of convergent products," stated the CEO of T-Mobile Polska, Andreas Maierhofer.
"Technological excellence, combined with our strong customer service -our main differentiators in the market- will strengthen our operations in Poland and will help us build an even more attractive and quality-focused portfolio, both for business and individual clients, on a larger scale," he added.