The international law firm Clifford Chance advised debitel AG, Stuttgart, on the complete takeover of the Talkline Group. The purchase price is EUR 560 million. The transaction will take place subject to approval from the relevant antitrust authorities.
debitel AG is a portfolio company of the private equity house Permira and is the largest provider of mobile telecommunications services in Germany. The company, which is not listed on the stock exchange, employs 2,400 people and generated turnover of around EUR 2 billion in 2006.
LAWFUEL – Legal Newswire – The Talkline Group (Talkline Management und Finance Holding GmbH) is made up of the mobile telecommunications service provider Talkline GmbH & Co. KG in Elmshorn and the mobile discounter callmobile GmbH & Co. KG in Hamburg. It is a full subsidiary of TDC Mobile International, Copenhagen. The Talkline Group employs around 850 people and generated turnover of more than EUR 1 billion in 2006.
The Clifford Chance team was led by partners Oliver Felsenstein and Georg Linde and included partner Burc Hesse, Counsel Dr. Silke Gantzckow, associates Joachim Hasselbach, Dr. Stefan Laun, Dr. Moritz Moeller-Herrmann and Dr. Robert Bewilogua (all Corporate, Frankfurt), partner Bettina Steinhauer (Banking & Capital Markets, Frankfurt) and partner Barbara Mayer-Trautmann and associate Thomas Weitkamp (both Banking & Capital Markets, Munich). Also part of the team were partner Marc Besen (Antitrust, Düsseldorf), associate Astrid Whyte (Employment, Düsseldorf), partner Dr. Uwe Schimmelschmidt (Tax, Frankfurt) and associate Cord von Mandelsloh (Tax, Düsseldorf), as well as associate Amrei Fuder (Real Estate, Frankfurt).
