Romania's Digi in $810 mln fiber sale deal with Macquarie consortium (updated)

Digi Communications

05/04/2024 14:40

(Updates with further details and background from paragraph 2
onwards)
       April 5 (Reuters) - A consortium comprising financial
conglomerate Macquarie  MQG.AX  is buying a part of Digi
Communication NV's  DIGI.BX  fiber networks in Spain for up to
750 million euros ($809.63 million), the Bucharest-based
operator said on Friday.
    The Romanian telecom firm's Spanish affiliate, DIGI Spain
Telecom S.L.U., has struck a deal with the consortium under
which the former will pass on its network in 12 local provinces,
including Madrid, to the group.
    Investment firm Abrdn  ABDN.L  and fund manager Arjun
Infrastructure Partners are also part of the group. 
    Spanish newspaper Expansion had in September last year 
reported that Digi was in talks with the respective parties over
a potential stake sale in the fibre network in a bid to raise
more cash to invest locally. 
    Digi is expected to invest the money raised from the deal in
Spain, the country which has Europe's most extensive fiber
networks to the home and has emerged as a hotspot for boosted
investment in the last few years.
    The newly acquired fiber networks will be operated by
Onivia, Spain's largest independent wholesale fibre platform,
Macquarie said.      

($1 = 0.9264 euros)

 (Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun
Koyyur)
 ((Rishav.Chatterjee@thomsonreuters.com;))