DGAP-Ad hoc: freenet AG

DGAP-Adhoc: freenet AG: freenet AG acquires 23.83 per cent of Sunrise Communications Group AG

freenet AG / Key word(s): Investment

17.03.2016 22:50

Dissemination of an Ad hoc announcement according to § 15 WpHG, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

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freenet AG acquires 23.83 per cent of Sunrise Communications Group AG

Büdelsdorf, 17 March 2016 - Today, freenet AG [ISIN DE000A0Z2ZZ5] signed a contract for the acquisition of 10,721,395 ordinary shares in Sunrise Communications Group AG, Zurich, Switzerland. This constitutes a stake of 23.83 per cent in Sunrise Communications Group AG. Next month, in addition to this, freenet AG is going to acquire a further stake of up to 330,183 shares, or 0.73 per cent of the share capital, in Sunrise Communications Group AG under the same conditions.

The price of acquiring this 23.83% participating interest is around 714 million euros or 72.95 CHF per share in Sunrise Communications Group AG. The dividend for the financial year 2015 will be due to freenet AG. The dividend of 3.00 CHF per no-par-value share with entitlement to dividends that was proposed by the company's board of directors will be the subject of a resolution at Sunrise Communications Group AG's annual general meeting on 15 April 2016.

The investment is cash accretive for freenet. The mobile communications provider is confident that the transaction will have a positive impact on its EBITDA and free cash flow. It is intended that freenet AG's CEO, Christoph Vilanek, as well as the company's CFO, Joachim Preisig, are to be represented on Sunrise Communications Group AG's board of directors. The transaction is expected to be completed soon.

Sunrise is the largest private telecommunications provider in Switzerland and has more than 3 million customers.

Investor Relations: freenet Aktiengesellschaft Investor Relations Deelbögenkamp 4c 22297 Hamburg Germany Phone: +49 (0) 40 / 513 06 778 Fax: +49 (0) 40 / 513 06 970 Email: ir@freenet.ag

17.03.2016 The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: freenet AG Hollerstraße 126 24782 Büdelsdorf Germany Phone: +49 (0)40 51306-778 Fax: +49 (0)40 51306-970 E-mail: ir@freenet.ag Internet: www.freenet-group.de ISIN: DE000A0Z2ZZ5, DE000A1KQXU0 WKN: A0Z2ZZ , A1KQXU Indices: TecDAX Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Stuttgart; Terminbörse EUREX End of Announcement DGAP News-Service ---------------------------------------------------------------------------