Oldenburg utility group buys Herford telecommunications company
EWE acquires 100% stake in Teleos
Oldenburg/Herford, Germany, 12 June 2008. EWE Aktiengesellschaft, based in Oldenburg, increased its stake in Herford-based Teleos GmbH & Co. KG to 100 per cent yesterday by acquiring the remaining 49 per cent of shares in Teleos from E.ON Westfalen Weser AG. Both companies agreed to remain silent about the price. Integrating Teleos fully into the EWE Group secures the provision of telecommunications services offered by Teleos in the region in the long term. It also allows Teleos to develop into a full-service provider of telephony, internet, landlines, IT services and mobile communications, and thus become a strong partner for regional customers.
Besides operating in the energy sector, the EWE Group and its subsidiaries have also been active in the telecommunications sector for several years. "Buying Teleos shares enables us to consolidate our competitive position on the telecommunications market in the south of Lower Saxony and in East Westphalia. As a strong group of telecommunications companies, EWE will carry on the success of Teleos and develop the company even further," says Heiko Harms, EWE’s COO and responsible for networks and IT. EWE is clearly focusing on the company locations Herford and Paderborn: "EWE is an enterprise with a very decentralised structure. Local presence within reach of our customers is very important to us. We are therefore providing long-term assurances to secure the main locations in Herford and Paderborn. We will also ensure long-term job security," says Harms.
Teleos CEO Norbert Scholz welcomes EWE's increased commitment: "As our sole shareholder, EWE represents a strong parent who can help us build on our previous success – not least thanks to its pool of knowledge in the EWE telecommunications group." Teleos has established itself on the market as the leading alternative telecommunications provider in East Westphalia, Schaumburg, Lippe, Paderborn and Höxter, with more than 54,000 customers. In late 2007, Teleos consolidated its position by expanding its regional networks, for example into the regions of Minden Lübbecke and Hameln. By offering innovative products and services in the areas of telephony, internet, point-to-point connections, IT solutions and mobile communications, Teleos caters to both private and business customers. Both regional SMEs and major industrial enterprises benefit from its attractive corporate solutions. With more than 46,000 customers, Teleos is already the region's leading alternative provider for broadband internet (DSL).
Press contacts:
EWE Aktiengesellschaft
Klaus Markus
Head of Corporate Communications
Tirpitzstraße 39
26122 Oldenburg
Germany
Email:
T +49 441 803 - 1800
F +49 441 803 - 1895
Teleos GmbH & Co. KG
Svenja Brüggemann
Head of the Marketing Division
Goebenstraße 3-7
32052 Herford
Germany
Email:
T +49 5221 999 - 400
F +49 5221 999 - 402
Teleos GmbH & Co. KG was established in 1997 as a wholly owned subsidiary of E.ON Westfalen Weser (then Elektrizitätswerke Minden-Ravensberg) and is headquartered in Herford. In 2006, EWE AG acquired a 51% stake in the company. Teleos has established itself on the market as the leading alternative telecommunications provider in East Westphalia, Schaumburg, Lippe, Paderborn and Höxter, with currently more than 54,000 customers and annual sales totalling more than € 50 m in 2007. By offering innovative products and services in the areas of telephony, internet, IT solutions and point-to-point connections, Teleos caters to both private and business customers. Both regional SMEs and major industrial enterprises benefit from its attractive corporate solutions. With more than 46,000 customers, Teleos is already the region's leading alternative provider for broadband internet (DSL).
EWE, headquartered in Oldenburg, is one of Germany's largest utility companies. Its range of goods and services includes electricity, gas and water supplies, energy and environmental technology, gas transportation and trading, and telecommunications and information technology. Thus, EWE provides a range of classical and innovative services at one source. EWE's network infrastructure is characterised by a high level of technical quality, security of supplies and economically efficient operation. EWE extended its core competences at an early stage to include the operation of complex networks and provide comprehensive control and telecontrol engineering know-how in a future-oriented, multi-service offering. In addition to its established business activities in northern Germany, EWE also conducts business successfully in eastern Germany, Poland and Turkey. The EWE Group employs circa 4,700 staff members and recorded sales of € 4.7 bn in 2007.
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