The Bundeskartellamt, Germany's competition authority, has granted approval for Freenet AG to acquire Mobilezone Deutschland GmbH in a preliminary review process. Both companies primarily operate as distribution service providers for major mobile network operators in the German retail market.

Freenet offers mobile contracts under its own name and account with various network operators, while Mobilezone acts mainly as an intermediary on behalf of the network operators. Neither company possesses its own infrastructure or frequency usage rights, limiting their flexibility in contract negotiations.

Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt, stated that the acquisition strengthens Freenet's position as the largest independent buyer against mobile network operators such as Telekom, Vodafone, Telefónica, and 1&1. This could lead to greater negotiation power for Freenet and potentially invigorate competition among these operators.

In addition to the mobile sector, the merger also results in minor overlaps in the provision of fixed-line internet connections for end customers, retail of electronic devices like smartphones and headphones, and wholesale of electronic devices. However, due to the low revenues and market shares of the parties involved in these areas, there were no competition law concerns.