T-Online International AG - Introduction

Introduction

Waldstrasse 3
Weiterstadt
D-64331
Germany
Telephone: 49 61 51 6 80 0
Fax: 49 61 51 6 80 6 80
Web site: http://www.t-online.de

Public Company
Incorporated: 2000
Employees: 2,760
Sales: EUR 1.8 billion ($1.84 billion) (2002)
Stock Exchanges: Frankfurt
Ticker Symbol: TOIGn.DE
NAIC: 514191 On-Line Information Services

T-Online International AG is one of Europe's largest Internet-service providers, with some 12.5 million subscribers—including some three million ADSL customers—in Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Austria, and Switzerland. In addition to its T-Online brand, the company operates as Club Internet in France and Ya.com in Spain and Portugal. The bulk of the company's operations remain, however, in its German home base, where the former Deutsche Telecom spinoff is the leading ISP with more than 9.5 million customers. Fully 75 percent of T-Online's revenues, which topped EUR 1.8 billion ($1.9 billion) in 2002, come from Internet access fees. Yet the company is reducing its reliance on subscriber charges, stepping up its efforts to generate revenues from advertising and e-commerce fees and services. As such, the company has been developing its paid content services, such as fee-based newsletters, a music download service, online gaming sites, and other e-commerce sites such as online banking services and a stake in the Booxtra online shop. Many of T-Online's content ventures are developed in partnership with other groups, such as France's Lagardere, which holds a 5 percent stake of the company, and publishing group Axel Verlag. T-Online is also investing in new wireless and mobile Internet access technologies. The company is listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange.