STUTTGART, Germany-Debitel AG, which is 74-percent owned by Swisscom, reported robust 1999 earnings, and international press reports said it is in talks with potential partners for third-generation license bids.
U.S.-based SBC Communications Inc. and Japan’s NTT are both reported to be interested in taking a stake in Debitel, a German reseller of mobile phone services. Such a partnership could boost the company’s plans to acquire a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System license in Germany.
Debitel’s revenues rose 34 percent in 1999 and net income grew 42 percent. The company has 4.7 million subscribers, with 3.1 million in Germany.
