Tim Hoettges, chief executive of Deutsche Telekom, said he was open to finding an industry partner for its tower infrastructure, days after Vodafone said it was considering partnerships for its recently-listed towers business.
Höttges said, however, that he wanted to retain a role in the decision-making process, particularly in influencing further mergers and acquisitions.
“Deconsolidation makes total sense to me – I always said a minority IPO path doesn’t make sense. Second, I prefer an industrial solution, but I always need two to tango,” Tim Hoettges told the Morgan Stanley European Technology, Media and Telecoms conference on Thursday.
Many telecommunications companies are keen to spin off the highly lucrative tower business by forming joint ventures with independent companies to tap into the potential for future growth.