Vauban Infrastructure Partners (“Vauban” or “VIP”) and Vauban Infra Fibre (“VIF”), France's largest independent digital infrastructure platform, are pleased to announce that it has taken a strategic step towards the proposed acquisition of c. 100% shares of Towerlink France SAS (“Towerlink”) from Cellnex France (“Cellnex”)(thereafter the “Transaction”).
Founded in 2018, Towerlink is the owner, operator and developer of urban edge datacentres, with a presence across multiple sites in France, many of which are already operational with nationwide urban footprint located close to end customers. Through the development of high-quality technical sites located in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities in France, this strategic portfolio aims to accelerate the digital transformation of the territories, contributing to greater local development.
Given the mission-critical nature of Towerlink services, this proposed acquisition would further strengthen VIF’s leading position in the French market and diversify its base of digital infrastructure. VIF would also strengthening its partnership with Bouygues Telecom, Towerlink’s main client, and one the leading telecommunications operators in France.
Vauban Infra Fibre is advised by Nomura as M&A and debt advisor, Clifford Chance Europe LLP as legal advisor, Altman Solon as commercial and technical advisor, Eight Advisory as financial and tax advisor and Marsh as insurance advisor.
This proposed transaction is subject to consultation with the employee representatives bodies and closing of the transaction would remain subject to customary regulatory and corporate clearances.
Steve Ledoux, CEO of VIF, commented: "VIF is pleased to negotiate this investment in line with our investment strategy. Towerlink would thrive within VIF by continuing to deliver our common ambition and accelerate our development in the data centre market and by implementing attractive synergies with other French data centres and digital assets of the portfolio. We look forward to supporting the company in deploying a high quality portfolio of assets throughout France."
Gwenola Chambon, Founding Partner of Vauban Infrastructure Partners, commented: "VIF’s proposed investment in Towerlink confirms our strong commitment to finance infrastructure assets that are essential to the development of local communities, alongside with our historical partners.”
About Cellnex Telecom
Cellnex is Europe’s largest operator of telecommunications towers and infrastructure, providing operators with access to an extensive network of shared telecommunications assets. This model helps reduce entry barriers and improve services in the most remote areas, while promoting more sustainable network deployment.
The company manages a portfolio of more than 110,000 sites — including planned rollouts through 2030 — across 10 European countries, with a strong presence in Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Poland.
Cellnex is listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange and is part of the IBEX 35 and Euro Stoxx 100 indices. It also holds prominent positions in leading sustainability indices such as FTSE4Good, MSCI, and DJSI Europe.
For more information, visit Cellnex.com
About Vauban Infra Fibre
The creation of Vauban Infra Fibre follows the implementation of a specialized digital investment strategy. More than ten years ago, Vauban was the first management company to enter the fibre market in France and it is now one of the major investors in the digital infrastructure sector in France and abroad. VIF is a french company, held by Vauban Infrastructure Partners’ funds, Credit Agricole Assurances entities and Raffles, an affiliate of GIC, that manages today more than 13 million FTTH connectable lines, through 25 assets across rural, urban and medium-density areas. VIF is a diversified platform with an attractive range of brownfield projects, which plays a central role in the development of French digital infrastructure. The company’s broadband platform looks to address the needs of French communities by completing the rollout of local fibre networks, transforming rural areas into ‘smart’ territories.
About Vauban Infrastructure Partners
Vauban Infrastructure Partners is a leading infrastructure asset manager focused on the European infrastructure mid-market segment. Headquartered in Paris, with an office in Munich and subsidiaries in Luxembourg and New York, the firm employs around 80 professionals, the majority of whom have been working together for over a decade. Vauban primarily targets European infrastructure assets with strong defensive characteristics, focusing on essential assets that serve communities and place sustainability at their core. To date, Vauban has raised approximately €10 billion across 8 infrastructure funds from more than 150 investors in around 20 countries, and has invested in over 80 assets in mobility, energy transition, and social & digital infrastructure across 16 geographies. https://vauban-ip.com/
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