Deutsche Telekom Buys Additional T-Mobile US Shares for $2.4 Billion

Deutsche Telekom Buys Additional T-Mobile US Shares for $2.4 Billion
The GSM mobile phone antennas of Deutsche Telekom AG atop the German telecoms giant's headquarters in Bonn, Germany. (Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters)
Reuters
4/14/2022
Updated:
4/14/2022

DUESSELDORF, Germany—Deutsche Telekom said it has bought additional shares in T-Mobile US from Softbank for $2.4 billion, bringing CEO Tim Hoettges closer to his goal of securing direct control over the U.S. telecoms operator.

The purchase of the 21.2 million shares via a call option raises Deutsche Telekom’s stake in T-Mobile US to 48.4 percent, within touching distance of a majority stake, from below 47 percent, the German company said on Wednesday.

As part of a deal agreed with Softbank in 2020, Deutsche Telekom paid a fixed price of $101.46 per T-Mobile US share for 11.8 million of the shares, and $128.68 per share for the rest, based on the stock’s weighted average price.

That means the average price for the deal was $113 per T-Mobile US share, compared with Tuesday’s closing price of $131.44.

Deutsche Telekom used part of the roughly 4 billion euros it received from the sale of its T-Mobile Netherlands business to pay for the shares.

By Matthias Inverardi