Deutsche Telekom Still Open To Partners For T-Mobile USA

Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges has reiterated the company’s intentions to seek a partner for T-Mobile USA in order to increase the division’s profitability after 16 consistent quarters of customer gains at the expense of profits. However, Hoettges also stressed that Deutsche Telekom is in no hurry to sell off T-Mobile USA after failing to to sell to Sprint last year following regulator pressure to halt the deal over competition and consolidation worries. The comments were made during the Deutsche Telekom shareholders meeting held earlier today.

Earlier this year, Hoettges expressed more reservation regarding T-Mobile’s explosive growth at the expense of profitability, going as far as calling unsustainable in the long-term and expressed hope that the political environment would change to allow a sale or merger of T-Mobile with another company.

T-Mobile and Dish Network are also frequently mentioned together as possible partners, owing to the similarities in spectrum holdings and Dish Network has long wanted to expand to mobile service, either through a carrier partnership, or even an outright purchase of a carrier, with no real movement on such a tie up from either company.