Citymesh takes over the telecommunications provider Edpnet from Proximus. Proximus will therefore ensure that the ongoing proceedings by the Belgian competition authority in connection with the takeover are terminated.

Surprising turn in the Edpnet affair: Citymesh takes over the telecommunications provider from Proximus. Both companies announced this yesterday evening in separate press releases. “We are pleased to welcome the edpnet team of 60 experts to Citymesh Group,” the new buyer said in its announcement.

Rescue for Proximus

Proximus tried to take over Edpnet for 20.5 million euros at the end of March, but had little joy in these takeover plans. The Belgian competition authority put an end to this almost immediately by opening an investigation. Edpnet was known in the Belgian telecommunications world as an independent party, not affiliated with any of the “big three”, and the authority preferred to keep it that way.

The sale of Edpnet freed Proximus from all ongoing proceedings. The amount for which Citymesh will be acquired is not communicated in the press releases. Citymesh says it wants to maintain Edpnet’s position as a challenger in the telecommunications sector and that the company’s headquarters will remain in Sint-Niklaas.

Ambitious buyer

The term “challenger” fits Citymesh itself just as well. The West Flemish company has great ambitions in the telecommunications sector and would like to venture into the consumer market. The first important step was to obtain the necessary 5G licenses and create a joint venture with Romania’s Digi, which will normally launch an offer starting next year.

Through the acquisition of Edpnet, Citymesh gains an additional 46,000 customers for fixed-line internet and 13,500 customers with a mobile subscription. Time will tell how closely they fit into Citymesh’s plans.