DGAP-News: Tele Columbus AG: Tele Columbus switches to green electricity

PRESS RELEASE

Protecting the climate with products from PŸUR

Tele Columbus switches to green electricity

- Networks powered entirely by renewable energy

- Savings of around 14,500 tonnes of CO₂ per year

- TV and Internet are going green thanks to PŸUR

Berlin, 13 January 2021. Since the start of the year, the networks operated by Tele Columbus AG and its brand PŸUR have been powered entirely by certified green electricity. The move allows all active customers to significantly reduce the carbon footprint caused by receiving television signals or using telephony and internet services through a cable connection. By changing how it sources its electricity, the Group is pursuing its sustainability strategy, which calls for climate-neutral network operation, among other targets.

The continued increase in internet use has fuelled a constant rise in power consumption by telecommunication networks. In 2020, the ever-growing use of the web was further accelerated by two lockdown phases in Germany during which many people either worked or studied primarily from home. Regardless of whether they only use cable television or additional services such as telephony and internet, households supplied by PŸUR will be significantly more eco-friendly in 2021.

While the Tele Columbus Group's cable networks switched to green power at the start of 2021, IP services for business customers and the PŸUR Business data centres have been running entirely on green electricity for over a year now. By selecting appropriate electricity providers, the Group had already succeeded in reducing location-based CO₂ emissions from 14,500 tonnes to 6,200 tonnes in previous years. Starting now, that same figure stands at zero. All electricity purchased by the Tele Columbus Group comes from certified, renewable sources of energy. Across the country, every PŸUR customer can now automatically benefit from the Group's carbon-free network operations.

"PŸUR wants to play a state-of-the-art role in helping transform the way we study, work and consume media," says Tele Columbus' Chief Commercial Officer Stefan Riedel. "With e-learning and web meetings becoming the norm as digitalisation advances, the networks used to transmit that data have to be operated with a focus on environmental sustainability. Eighty per cent of the data volume in the networks is streaming content, or videos. Through its fibre-optic cable networks, Tele Columbus offers a particularly eco-friendly way of accessing the internet, according to a study by the German Environment Agency," Riedel adds. Under the Tele Columbus Group's optical fibre expansion strategy, an ever-growing number of households are slated to gain access to a PŸUR fibre-optic connection in the years ahead, thereby further boosting energy efficiency.

Switching to green electricity plays a vital role for Tele Columbus on its path to providing "green cable". Still, further work is needed to achieve internet connections that are green from start to finish. The mission to make the internet climate friendly also depends on the electricity customers use to power their modems, computers and televisions. Video streaming providers' server farms and the amount of CO₂ generated through the use of cloud applications, to name just a few examples, also have an influence.

PŸUR Business' state-of-the-art, energy-efficient data centres in Leipzig and Berlin, which power such applications, are already running on 100% renewable energy today. As a result, Tele Columbus AG and its PŸUR brand are underscoring their ambition of being among the top providers in the German market from an environmental perspective as well.

About us

Tele Columbus AG is one of Germany's leading fibre network operators which reaches more than 3 million homes. Via its brand PŸUR, the Company, offers high-speed internet including telephony and more than 250 TV channels. All of this via a digital entertainment platform that combines linear TV with video on demand entertainment. To its housing association partners the Tele Columbus Group offers tailored models of cooperation and state-of-the-art services such as telemetric and tenant portals. As a full-service partner for municipalities and regional utilities, the Company is actively supporting the fibre-based infrastructure and broadband internet expansion in Germany. For its business customers the Group offers carrier services and corporate solutions on its proprietary fibre network. Besides its headquarter in Berlin, the Company has locations in Hamburg, Leipzig, Ratingen and Unterföhring/Munich. Since January 2015, Tele Columbus AG is listed on the regulated market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock exchange.

Disclaimer

This release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements reflect the Company's current knowledge and expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and assumptions may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this document.

This release contains references to certain non-GAAP financial measures, such as Normalized EBITDA and Capex, and operating measures, such as RGUs, ARPU, and Unique Subscribers calculations. These non-GAAP financial and operating measures should not be viewed in isolation as alternatives to measures of the Company's financial condition, results of operations or cash flows as presented in accordance with IFRS. The non-GAAP financial and operating measures used by the Company may differ from, and not be comparable to, similarly titled measures used by other companies.

All information contained in this release has been carefully prepared. However, no reliance may be placed for any purposes whatsoever on the information contained in this document or on its completeness. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is given by or on behalf of the Company or any of its directors, officers or employees or any other person as to the accuracy or completeness of the information or opinions contained in this document and no liability whatsoever is accepted by the Company or any of its directors, officers or employees nor any other person for any loss howsoever arising, directly or indirectly, from any use of such information or opinions or otherwise arising in connection therewith. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any information contained in this release, including forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.