"No plan B" says DT, despite comments by CTO

MOST READ
LATEST NEWS

EVENTS

Join Orange, Amazon and Google at the Open Mobile Summit London May 29-30

MARKET PLACE

Carrier Broadband Performance: Africa & Middle East

Voice over LTE: Market Analysis and Forecasts

Advertize your telecoms job

JOBS

Experienced Event Organiser

"No plan B" says DT, despite comments by CTO

German telco distances itself from executive's hints that it is evaluating fallback options should its sale of T-Mobile USA fail

By CAROLINE GABRIEL

Published: 4 October, 2011

READ MORE: M&A | Germany | Deutsche Telekom

Deutsche Telekom's CTO Olivier Baujard seems to have spoken out of turn when he commented that the German telco was reaching for a 'plan B' in the event of AT&T's takeover of its US arm being blocked.

Baujard had told the Reuters news agency that DT was looking at back-up plans, should it fail to sell T-Mobile USA to AT&T, and that it was also reviewing its German investment plans. He did follow the company line in one respect, saying he expected the $39bn merger to be approved eventually, and describing the attempt by the US Department of Justice to prevent it as "hardball negotiating tactics". However, the corporation raced to distance itself from his remarks, with a spokesperson pointing out that Baujard was not a member of the board or the German unit's management team.

The spokesman, Andreas Fuchs, told Reuters: "Mr. Baujard is not involved in the decision processes … and he is in particular not involved in the sale of T-Mobile or investments of Deutsche Telekom in Germany." He added: "Deutsche Telekom is convinced that the sale of T-Mobile USA is the best solution for the consumer. There is no Plan B." He insisted there was no intention of pulling back on the aim of investing €10bn in German fixed and mobile networks between 2010 and 2012.