THE HAGUE, Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KKR, a leading global investment firm, and DTCP, an investment management platform focusing on digital infrastructure and growth equity, today announced the launch of Open Dutch Fiber and a strategic agreement between Open Dutch Fiber and T-Mobile Netherlands.
Open Dutch Fiber, an independent platform majority owned by KKR and with DTCP as minority shareholder, will deploy Fiber-to-the-Home (“FttH”) broadband in the Netherlands across urban and higher population density areas, delivering high-quality fiber connections to Dutch households and businesses.
The platform has an open architecture and will make wholesale fiber services available to all operators. Open Dutch Fiber will begin operations in Q2 2021 with a fully-funded commitment for an envisaged capital expenditure of approximately €700 million and construction agreements already in place.
Open Dutch Fiber will be led by Jordi Nieuwenhuis and Uwe Nickl. Jordi and Uwe have a proven track record of delivering rapid, high-quality and cost-effective programmes to deploy fiber broadband. Most recently they were co-CEOs of Deutsche Glasfaser in Germany, supporting the rollout of next-generation digital infrastructure to more than 1 million homes and 6,000 businesses. Prior to his role at Deutsche Glasfaser, Jordi co-founded Reggefiber in the Netherlands. They will be joined at Open Dutch Fiber by Michael Griffioen as CEO, who will oversee the company’s day-to-day operations.
To support the rollout, Open Dutch Fiber has signed an agreement with T-Mobile Netherlands, the leading mobile operator and FMC challenger in the Netherlands. T-Mobile Netherlands, which currently has a mobile base of 6.8 million customers and a fixed base of 682,000, will be the anchor tenant for Open Dutch Fiber with a 20-year agreement.
Jordi Nieuwenhuis, co-founder of Open Dutch Fiber, said: "High-quality and reliable fiber connectivity is essential for the Netherlands and this has only been accelerated with the structural changes to working patterns of companies and citizens brought about by the COVID-19 crisis. We are building a digital infrastructure platform with open access to all operators, to ensure an efficient and rapid deployment of capital resources, while avoiding uneconomical overbuild. We look forward to making a significant contribution to the digitization of the Netherlands to benefit Dutch households and businesses.”
Cristina González, Managing Director in KKR’s EMEA Infrastructure team, said: “We are excited about the opportunity ahead for Open Dutch Fiber as an independent FttH platform in the Netherlands, and one which will support the rollout of critical infrastructure for Dutch society. KKR will support Open Dutch Fiber with capital and deep expertise in delivering large-scale fiber deployment programmes.”
“The creation of Open Dutch Fiber is an important milestone in the acceleration of fiber rollout in the Netherlands and a blueprint for innovative financing solutions in European digital infrastructure. We are firm believers in the sharing of digital infrastructure and are establishing Open Dutch Fiber as an open access model, enabling attractive economics for operators and best prices for consumers. We look forward to the collaboration with our partners”, said Vicente Vento, Co-Founder and CEO of DTCP.
KKR will be making the investment through its Global Infrastructure Investors Funds. KKR first established its Global Infrastructure strategy in 2008 and has since been one of the most active infrastructure investors around the world with a team of more than 50 dedicated investment professionals. The firm currently manages over $27 billion in infrastructure assets and has made over 40 infrastructure investments across a range of sub-sectors and geographies. Open Dutch Fiber will benefit from KKR’s expertise in digital infrastructure and fiber deployment, following similar recent investments in Deutsche Glasfaser in Germany, Hyperoptic in the UK and FiberCop in Italy.
DTCP Infra invests in European digital infrastructure across three verticals: towers, fiber, and data centers. The DTCP Infra team has an established track record creating innovative solutions for digital infrastructure development in collaboration with its financial and industrial partners. The firm’s investments in Swiss Towers and in Community Fiber provide relevant experiences for the benefit of ODF.
Morgan Stanley acted as exclusive financial advisor and De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek as legal advisor to Deutsche Telekom/T-Mobile. Clifford Chance acted as legal advisor to KKR and DTCP.
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About KKR
KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.
About DTCP
DTCP is an investment management platform focused on digital infrastructure and growth equity. Founded in 2015, the firm has raised more than $1 billion in funds from corporate and institutional investors and invested in over 60 companies. DTCP Infra invests in digital infrastructure across mobile towers, fiber, and data centres. DTCP Growth invests in leading enterprise application and infrastructure software companies. DTCP has a dedicated team supporting its portfolio companies and its industrial partners. DTCP is headquartered in Hamburg with offices in Menlo Park, Tel Aviv, and Seoul. To learn more about DTCP, please visit dtcp.capital, or on Twitter @dtcp_capital