freenet AG
Line
- Christoph Vilanek CEO
- Hartmut Schenk, Chairman of the Board
Freenet AG is a publicly traded German telecommunications company based in Büdelsdorf. It emerged from the merger of mobilcom AG and freenet.de AG on 2 March 2007. Since 5 March 2007, freenet AG is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Freenet AG is the biggest network-independent telecommunications company in Germany.
History
The Freenet.de AG was founded in December 1999 as an Internet service provider and Internet portal, the mobilcom AG was involved in freenet.de with 50.43 %. The Internet portal represents the traditional core business of freenet.de and includes the marketing of content and features on the website www.freenet.de. One of the free services include information and intelligence services for a variety of areas, such as economy, society, sports and entertainment as well as the freenet community. Components of freenet.de portal are also paid payment services such as e- mail Office and the singles community.
In order to increase sales over freenet's Internet portal, the classic Freenet narrowband Internet access (modem, ISDN) through Internet - by-call and own dial-in node is the homepage of Freenet portal shown at each dial (by proxy ) in the web browser; the narrowband access business is thus primarily as a revenue driver for the portal business, and pay services.
Since March 2003, the company offers broadband access on the basis of T- DSL and T - DSL ZISP a private IP backbone, which is also marketed through resellers; as the year progresses freenet.de AG bought from its parent company mobilcom the entire fixed-line business and has developed from a pure Internet service to a telecommunications provider on. In spring 2004 freenet.de started with the offer freenet iPhone Internet telephony (Voice over IP) to at home and abroad. From the fall of 2004 sold freenet.de T-DSL resale lines under his own name.
At the turn of 2004/2005 the field of web hosting ( provider of service numbers 0900, 0180 and intelligent network services in the area 0800, ) came through the acquisition of the provider STRATO AG as well as the value-added service business through the acquisition of the former Talkline ID (now NEXT ID GmbH) into company's portfolio. Both acquisitions strengthened especially the formerly still weak B2B division. In addition, the freenet AG has founded together with air2mp3 inventor Rapid Solution Software AG as of 1 May 2004, the air2mp3 GmbH in Karlsruhe. Freenet AG holds 51 percent and the Rapid Solution Software AG with 49 percent of it. Users is the legal, automated and accurate storage of music from TV and radio recordings allows as MP3 files via so-called Cutlists without these need to be downloaded from the Internet.
Since 2006, the technology partner QSC and Telefónica in their collocation expansion areas be realized (2007 with about 50-60 % population coverage ), the DSL accesses by means of line-sharing instead of T - DSL resale product; there Komplettanschluss packages are offered without bundled telecom landline -based broadband data connections in addition.
In early 2007 the German B2C Access Division ( narrowband, broadband ) was taken over by Tiscali, the merger was completed with mobilcom on 2 March 2007, the company restructured and changed the company in Freenet AG. Independently calculated cellular tariffs that are not oriented to mobile network operators offerings, are now offered under the name of Freenet - such as Germany's first offer of a mobile flatrate in all German networks. The end of 2007 Freenet took over the DSL business of Lycos Germany.
In July 2008, freenet launched the first provider to the marketing of complete connections via bitstream access Deutsche Telekom, making the availability of its own complete connections was extended to the entire T - DSL expansion area.
In May, 2009, freenet known that the broadband division to 1 & 1 ( United Internet ) will sell for € 123 million. The technical migration and settlement was completed on 1 December 2009. Freenet existing customers could switch one rate to a 1 & or keep the old tariff.
In December 2012, freenet has sold the freeXmedia GmbH to Media Ventures GmbH ( Ströer Group) and the 4Players GmbH to the publisher Computec Media ( Marquard Media ).
The former parent company mobilcom
→ Main article: Mobilcom
The mobilcom was a listed German company in the telecommunications sector, with its headquarters in Büdelsdorf, which was founded in 1991 by Gerhard Schmid and was mainly active as a mobile service provider.
The company merged on 2 March 2007 with freenet.de AG and now operates under the name of freenet AG.
In spring 2008, 375 former mobilcom shops that are mainly operated in franchising model were converted to the freenet - style.
Today's breakdown
Freenet AG has divided its activities into the following business segments:
- Mobile business with its own chain of shops ( service providers and no- frills segment )
- Business portal
- B2B Services
- Narrowband voice and data services ( call-by- call, pre, Internet - by-call)
Ownership structure
State 9 May 2012
Brand name
Freenet AG is active under the following brand names:
- Freenet - Landline, Internet ( Reseller)
- Mobilcom debitel - mobile, mobile Internet
- Talkline - mobile, mobile Internet
- Call mobile - mobile, mobile Internet
- Klarmobil - mobile, mobile Internet
- FreenetMobile - mobile, mobile Internet
How freenet AG announced on 12 February 2009, the approximately 930 stores in the chain mobilcom, debitel, _dug and Talkline will in future operate under the single name mobilcom debitel. However, 80 stores will be sold to O2. The mobile brands mobilcom debitel and Talkline should also operate under mobilcom debitel. However, the discounter brands callmobile, klarmobil and crash tariffs are to be continued. The brand name freenet should be continued only for the portal business.
Acquisition of debitel
The Freenet AG announced in April 2008, to take over the debitel AG together with its liabilities for about 1.6 billion euros by Permira. An agreement with the lenders of debitel AG was already perfect. Permira would thereby with almost 25 percent of the largest single shareholder in Freenet, while the percentage of Drillisch and United Internet would fall significantly by the new shares.
The Debitel Nederland BV with 120 employees and approximately 530,000 clients, meanwhile, was taken over by the Dutch mobile operator KPN Mobile.
Acquisition of the broadband division
Drillisch AG and United Internet AG proposed a takeover of Freenet AG to then split into divisions for internet and mobile for United Internet AG Drillisch AG. The private equity firm Permira stood behind the Freenet AG Chief Spoerr. The replacement of the Supervisory Board and Management Spoerr failed at the Annual General Meeting on 8 August 2008.
The broadband division was spun off into freenet Broadband GmbH and offered mid-June 2008 for sale. However, Vodafone Germany expressed interest in the broadband division until the beginning of March 2009, no buyers are found for the DSL broadband division.
Early February 2009, stopped the sale of the DSL division continues, however, O2 took over 80 freenet stores and converted this to summer 2009 in O2 Shops and partner stores.
The United Internet AG announced the end of May 2009, the acquisition of the broadband division with approximately 700,000 DSL customers known. The purchase price of 123 million euro was about 70 million euros financed shares in cash and the remaining 63 million euros with United Internet. Freenet " recommends" its customers since 1 & 1 Internet connections in its more than 1,000 stores. United Internet advanced with approximately 3.5 million DSL customers the second largest DSL provider for the Deutsche Telekom.
December 1, 2009, freenet Broadband GmbH went into the 1 & 1 Internet AG.
Restructuring in 2009
CEO Eckhard Spoerr said after nearly 10 years of leadership of the company mid-December 2008 his resignation on 23 January 2009. He justified his resignation with months of wrangling with the two investors, United Internet and Drillisch. His successor will initially Joachim Preisig be, who was previously Executive Board in the bought- Debitel AG. It is expected that a quick sale of the broadband sector for which a sales price of approximately 260 million euros would be possible. After a rehabilitation program to about 1,000 of the approximately 7,700 jobs were eliminated and the Elmshorn be closed in order to save about one hundred million euros.
As the successor of mid-January 2009 retired CEOs Eckhard Spoerr could neither the temporary CEO Joachim Preisig, yet the former Debitel Board Oliver Steil prevail, but Christoph Vilanek Debitel.
Acquisition of Gravis 2012
On December 18, 2012 GRAVIS announced that mobilcom debitel that belongs to the freenet Group, wants to take over GRAVIS. If the competition authorities approve the acquisition to be completed in 2013.
Cooperation
Along with the active newmedia GmbH announced freenet out the magazine 4Players.
Criticism
Freenet.de is out repeatedly in the past to the attention of consumer advocates and critical consumers because of poor customer service and industry-standard non-transparent call-by -call tariffs. By early 2004, in the wake over narrowband Internet-by- call rates of Freenet access to some pages with decidedly Freenet - critical content for several days redirected to an online game portal ( ie censored), which Freenet with unauthorized excess of zeal an employee tried to explain. Freenet is as well as other well-known telecommunications companies in the criticism, it works in cooperation with partners that use partially unfair methods of customer acquisition. The Consumer Brandenburg has announced against this practice in March 2007 legal proceedings. In December 2005, the Freenet.de AG was convicted in a single case of a Hamburg district court to refrain from e- mail spamming, because only that e- mail address of a Freenet customer, under which he had to unsubscribe from an advertising distribution, instead of all e -mail addresses of customers who were Freenet known was excluded from dispatch of product information. In July 2007, reported the business week that is under investigation Freenet CEO Eckhard Spoerr for fraud, embezzlement, insider trading and money laundering. A spokesman for Freenet commented that the report of the Business Week was wrong, and that they would take legal action against the magazine. The dossier on which the allegations are based, can be found online for download.
Also, the previous Company mobilcom noticed by questionable business practices; such as mobile customers was provided monthly minimum spending bill in 2002, which had previously been contractually agreed and the customers were previously not reported. Only with further steps of the customer, such as switching from consumer centers that contract amendments were withdrawn. The District Court of Flensburg has mobilcom prohibited in April 2006, by telephone to impose its mobile customers ostensibly free additional services, although incurring additional costs thereby recognized border treaty changes, or to assert towards the customer, it had come through the telephone consent as a result of this approach a final subsequent contract change about.