Higher costs for mobile communications capacity have depressed the profits of the telecommunications group United Internet. In the first nine months 2020 the company posted a consolidated result of 331 million euros and thus 7.4 percent less than a year earlier, as the company announced on Tuesday.

The The decrease was due to the fact that the United Internet subsidiary 1 & 1 Drillisch has had to pay more money for Internet capacities that it has bought from the network operator Telefónica since July – according to the company, 80 Millions added. 1 & 1 Drillisch does not have its own mobile radio stations, but uses the infrastructure of its competitor Telefónica.

Annual sales increase less Sales of the parent company United Internet rose in the nine-month period compared to the previous year by 3.4 percent to 3. 98 billion euros. The growth could not match that of the previous year. As the CEO of United Internet, Ralph Dommermuth, commented on the business figures, this was mainly due to the effects of the corona pandemic, which for example 17 meant millions of euros less. Adjusted for the effects of the pandemic, sales would have increased by 3.8 percent.

The United Internet share came under pressure after the announcement of the higher payments to Telefónica in September and has changed little since then recovered. On Monday she reached with 29, 10 Euro again the lowest value since mid-April. On Tuesday morning, the course recovered slightly to 17, 81 Euro.

United Internet has 9600 employees, of which 7900 in Germany. In addition to the company headquarters in Montabaur in Rhineland-Palatinate (1700 employees) Karlsruhe is an important location (2500 Employees), among other things, the hosting division and parts of the services gmx.de and web.de are located there.

United Internet wants to become the fourth German mobile network operator with its subsidiary 1 & 1 Drillisch The company 2019 secured the necessary frequencies in an auction by the Federal Network Agency. When the own network will start cannot yet be foreseen. (olb)