The German government said it has no plans to reduce the 31.9 per cent stake it holds in Deutsche Telekom despite renewed calls for it to do so from the country’s federal audit office.

A representative of the German finance ministry told Reuters that the government is not looking to sell its 14.5 per cent direct stake in the telecoms group. It has a further 17.4 per cent indirect stake held by the state-controlled bank KfW.

If the state was to reduce its involvement in Deutsche Telekom, it could have an impact on the other side of the Atlantic.

The potential merger between T-Mobile US and Sprint would require special clearance from US regulators owing to the fact that the former company is owned by a foreign company with a large government stake. The reduced involvement of the German state could therefore make such a merger easier to push through.

Christian Ahrendt, vice president of the Bundesrechnungshof, told Die Welt that the government should reduce its stake in Deutsche Telekom, as “telephony is not a task for the state”.

He added that if there is no longer a public interest in state involvement, the government-held holdings should be reduced.

Ahrendt’s comments come after an independent advisory group recommended last year that the government should consider selling Deutsche Telekom and Deutsche Post.