Vodafone boss confirms HanseNet bid

The CEO of Vodafone Germany, Friedrich Joussen, has confirmed that his company has made a non-binding offer for Telecom Italia’s German broadband unit, HanseNet. Joussen did not disclose the terms of the bid, saying only: ‘We bid what we considered appropriate.’ According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, UK-based Vodafone already owns German fixed line business Arcor, which is the country’s second largest broadband provider by subscribers behind the incumbent telco Deutsche Telekom, with 3.1 million broadband customers at 31 March 2009. Telefonica O2 Germany has already placed a bid for HanseNet, which is reportedly worth around EUR1.1 billion (USD1.42 billion), although bids are expected to be lower considering the current financial climate.