telegate was founded in 1996 when the Germany directory assistance market, as the first one in Europe, was opened up for competition. The early years of company development were marked by successes in the German home market. Thanks to innovative products and high quality standards, the company was able to establish itself as the leader of the alternative providers with the telephone number 11 88 0 and to break the monopoly of Deutsche Telekom in the directory assistance market. Proof had been provided: The business model worked.
In 1999, the company successfully went public at the Frankfurt stock exchange. The first two years after going public were marked by fast growth. The wake of the so-called “new economy” brought numerous acquisitions and the founding of new companies, as well as quick expansion to the USA. telegate began to experience losses until, at the start of 2001, it was decided to take drastic measures. The far-reaching reorganization and restructuring of the group was carried out under new management.
An impressive turnaround story followed. The foundation for this was the critical analysis of all business activities according to two strict criteria: Profitability and future earnings potential. The first successes came quickly. Focussing on the core business – the classic directory assistance business in Europe – was consistently promoted while other branches were sold off. Thus it was possible to lower costs quickly and significantly. The competitiveness and profitability of the directory assistance business was also noticeably improved. Finally, telegate managed to become profitable once again at the end of the 2003 fiscal year.
Since 2004, all signs once again point clearly to growth. The business model was slowly expanded through the addition of an extensive new offering of special services in directory assistance as well as the focus on business customers. In parallel to the step-by-step liberalization of the European directory assistance markets, telegate expanded into numerous neighbouring European countries - thereby securing development potential for the company. Meanwhile, management continues to focus on sustainability and profitability. Today, the telegate group is established as the leading directory assistance and information services provider across Europe and is extremely well prepared for the implementation of plans for additional growth thanks to a highly profitable core business and solid financing.
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