Stonepeak, a leading alternative investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real assets, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of a 49% interest in Cellnex Sweden and Cellnex Denmark (“Cellnex Nordics”), the Swedish and Danish operations of Cellnex Telecom (“Cellnex”), Europe’s largest independent operator of wireless telecommunications infrastructure, for a total value of c. EUR 730 million, of which EUR 558 million is recognized upfront.
Mitratel is significantly expanding its telecom mast portfolio with the purchase of 803 towers from Gametraco Tunggal, marking a strategic move beyond Java Island. This $113 million acquisition not only increases Mitratel’s infrastructure landscape but also welcomes 1,327 new tenants. The company’s ongoing investment in fiber optic networks aims to enhance tower operations, and crucially support the anticipated deployment of 5G networks in Indonesia.
Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison’s recent acquisition of MNC Play marks a strategic expansion into the fibre-to-the-home market, promising new options for customers and advancement in Indonesia’s digital transformation. Inclusion of MNC Play’s fibre optic network into the IOH portfolio fortifies their position in the market.
In a strategic move to bolster its European presence, nLighten, the digital infrastructure platform under the umbrella of I Squared Capital, a renowned global infrastructure investor, has successfully acquired Gyro Center (“Gyro”), a high-performance data center situated in Amsterdam. This acquisition marks a significant stride for nLighten as it progresses towards realizing its ambition of establishing and operating the foremost data center platform in Europe.
In a strategic move, Cloudli Communications, a prominent Montreal-based provider of voice, data, and messaging solutions, has officially merged its brand with ConnectMeVoice, an originally New Jersey-based company specializing in cutting-edge hosted voice over internet protocol (VoIP), unified communications as a service (UCaaS), and call center as a service (CCaaS).
Voice of Eutelsat’s CEO Eva Berneke for satellite connectivity competition crystalizes among customers’ cry for variety. Merging with UK’s low-Earth orbit firm, OneWeb, has catalyzed Eutelsat’s evolution as a fusion of GEO and LEO capabilities. This major leap signifies a stride in service offerings, blending Eutelsat’s superior GEO satellites with OneWeb’s timely LEO constellation, aiming for a global reach by year-end.
In a strategic move to bolster its mobile network, Australia’s premier telecom firm, Telstra, acquires local operations of small cell provider Dense Air. Both financial details and timelines of the transaction remain veiled. This comes after the Australia Competition Tribunal blocked Telstra’s partnership with TPG, favoring competition and avoiding regional coverage setback. While rivals speculate, Dense Air’s retreat from Trans-Tasman markets coincides with Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners’ takeover. This deal provides Telstra’s network expansion plans with crucial additional spectrum capacity.
In a surprising shift, Cellnex decides to offload its private networks niche to Boldyn Networks, refocusing its operations back to its base business of towers. This comes despite previously earmarking the private networks sector as critical for growth and the Superlative successes recorded by Edzcom, the Finnish-based firm that designs and runs 4G and 5G networks. This transition aims to trim the company’s debt. In contrast, Boldyn Networks is ready to capitalize on the promising growth in 5G private networks, projected to hit $109.4 billion by 2030.
Telefónica, a Spanish operator group, is set to acquire the remaining shares of Telefónica Deutschland, taking a decisive leap in consolidating their place in the European telecom sector. This bid, however, isn’t without its potential hurdles. For stakeholders to see potential, they need to be convinced the company’s predicted growth won’t overshadow the offered price. Meanwhile, a surprising twist comes into play as Saudi operator group, STC, expresses its interest to buy a stake in Telefónica, triggering a wave of political interest in Spain.
Navigating controversy and complex negotiations, Rogers Communications’ acquisition of Shaw Communications, perhaps unexpectedly, resulted in significant job cuts. Amidst skepticism and fears of further layoffs, Rogers remains steadfast in their stance, insisting on their commitment to job creation. However, the telecommunications landscape is a convoluted jigsaw, and this merger has merely revealed another challenging piece.
