DGAP-News: Tele Columbus wins tender for operating the communal fibre network in Heidelberg

PRESS RELEASE

High-speed internet for Schlierbach, Ziegelhausen and other areas

Tele Columbus wins tender for operating the communal fibre network in Heidelberg

• The city of Heidelberg grants network operations to pepcom, part of the Tele Columbus Group
• High-Speed Internet with up to 1 Gbit/s
• Construction to start still this autumn

Berlin/Heidelberg, 27 June 2019. Pepcom GmbH, a 100% subsidiary of Tele Columbus AG, will operate the communal fibre network built by the city of Heidelberg. The contract was signed today by Heidelberg's mayor, Hans-Jürgen Heiß, and Rüdiger Schmidt, Managing Director of pepcom and Chief Sales Officer Housing Industry & Infrastructure of Tele Columbus AG. In the districts of Schlierbach, Ziegelhausen and other formerly underserved areas within Heidelberg, gigabit connections will be available for the first time.

The fibre network will be constructed under the responsibility of the Heidelberg municipality, with subsidies granted by both the province of Baden-Württemberg as well as the federal government. To refinance the construction costs, the municipality leases the fibre network to an experienced telecommunications operator in the way of an "operater model". Pepcom, part of the Tele Columbus Group with its brand PŸUR, was chosen as the network's operator after a six month tender process.

Pepcom will deploy the active network equipment, operate the network and market high-speed broadband tariffs to the citizens of Heidelberg via its brand PŸUR. The minimum requirements of the subsidies granted, ie internet speeds of at least 50 Mbit/s, will be exceeded by far with tariff options offering up to 1000 Mbit/s.

Network construction by the city will start in Schlierbach and Ziegelhausen still this autumn and is expected to take one year. House owners will receive detailed information on connection opportunities and available tariffs from September 2019 on. Other areas of the city will be developed in the second construction phase, with the initial operations expected for year-end 2020.

Rüdiger Schmidt, Managing Director of pepcom and Chief Sales Officer Housing Industry & Infrastructure of the Tele Columbus Group, gave thanks to the city of Heidelberg for the good and future-proof preparation of the fibre network: "With a broadband speed of up to one Gigabit available for every building, the network will ensures that all retail and business customers can use all data related applications without limitations - an increasingly crucial factor when choosing locations".
 

About us

Tele Columbus AG is one of Germany's leading fibre network operators which reaches more than 3 million homes. Via its brand PŸUR, the Company, offers high-speed internet including telephony and more than 250 TV channels. All of this via a digital entertainment platform that combines linear TV with video on demand entertainment. To its housing association partners the Tele Columbus Group offers tailored models of cooperation and state-of-the-art services such as telemetric and tenant portals. As a full-service partner for municipalities and regional utilities, the Company is actively supporting the fibre-based infrastructure and broadband internet expansion in Germany. For its business customers the Group offers carrier services and corporate solutions on its proprietary fibre network. Besides its headquarter in Berlin, the Company has locations in Hamburg, Leipzig, Ratingen and Unterföhring/Munich. Since January 2015, Tele Columbus AG is listed on the regulated market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock exchange.
 

Disclaimer

This release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements reflect the Company's current knowledge and expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and assumptions may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this document.

This release contains references to certain non-GAAP financial measures, such as Normalized EBITDA and Capex, and operating measures, such as RGUs, ARPU, and Unique Subscribers calculations. These non-GAAP financial and operating measures should not be viewed in isolation as alternatives to measures of the Company's financial condition, results of operations or cash flows as presented in accordance with IFRS. The non-GAAP financial and operating measures used by the Company may differ from, and not be comparable to, similarly titled measures used by other companies.

All information contained in this release has been carefully prepared. However, no reliance may be placed for any purposes whatsoever on the information contained in this document or on its completeness. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is given by or on behalf of the Company or any of its directors, officers or employees or any other person as to the accuracy or completeness of the information or opinions contained in this document and no liability whatsoever is accepted by the Company or any of its directors, officers or employees nor any other person for any loss howsoever arising, directly or indirectly, from any use of such information or opinions or otherwise arising in connection therewith. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any information contained in this release, including forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact:

Leonhard Bayer
Senior Director Investor Relations
Phone +49 (30) 3388 1781
[email protected]
www.telecolumbus.com

Silke Bernhardt
Director Corporate Communications
Phone +49 (30) 3388 4177
[email protected]
www.telecolumbus.com