AOL Germany a key offensive, defensive buy for HanseNet

摘要

Telecom Italia's planned acquisition of AOL Germany could be crucial to the future of HanseNet, the Italian incumbent's German subsidiary, which analysts say has yet to make significant gains outside of its home town of Hamburg. If Telecom Italia's undisclosed bid is accepted, HanseNet would become Germany's third-largest DSL provider after incumbent operator Deutsche Telekom and alternative ISP United Internet with around 1.7 million subscribers, or a 15% market share. In addition, the acquisition could be a key defensive play against rivals United, Ver-satel and Freenet.de, which are also said to be interested in acquiring the ISP.