P+P advises EQT on management participation in acquisition of Deutsche Glasfaser

The transaction is still subject to the approval of the antitrust authorities and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2020.

Deutsche Glasfaser will merge with the inexio Group, which belongs to the existing portfolio of EQT Infrastructure IV, and thus develop into one of the leading FTTH providers and telecommunications companies in Germany. EQT Infrastructure will hold 51% and OMERS 49% of the entire group.

Since it was founded by the Dutch investor Reggeborgh in 2011, Deutsche Glasfaser has invested significantly in the fiber-optic infrastructure in underserved rural and suburban areas and provides high-speed Internet access to more than 600,000 households and 5,000 companies. With more than 30,000 kilometers of highly scalable fiber-optic network and leading expertise in fiber-optic systems, Deutsche Glasfaser represents a strong platform for additional growth.

In the next few years, the Group plans to collectively invest more than 7 billion Euros in expanding the high-speed Internet infrastructure in Germany and thereby contribute in a sustainable way to the German Federal Government's goal of providing a nationwide infrastructure that is gigabyte-compatible.

P+P Pöllath + Partners advised EQT on legal and tax matters related to the management participation with the following team:

• Dr. Benedikt Hohaus (partner, MPP, M&A/PE)
• Dr. Barbara Koch-Schulte (partner, MPP, M&A/PE, tax law)
• Lorena Joana Echarri (senior associate, MPP, M&A/PE, all Munich