Shares in Europe's largest Internet service provider T-Online gained more than 6 percent Wednesday after a magazine reported that software giant Microsoft may buy up to 24.9 percent of the company. German business magazine Capital said in a report released ahead of publication that T-Online's parent, Deutsche Telekom, was seeking a strategic partnership with Microsoft, which could raise billions of dollars to help pay down debt. T-Online, in which Deutsche Telekom has an 82 percent stake, has a market capitalization of $5.6 billion (6.2 billion euros), according to Reuters data. Capital said a partnership between T-Online and Microsoft's MSN, with a combined customer base of 17 million, could allow them to challenge market leader America Online. Deutsche Telekom declined to comment.
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