BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DigitalBridge Group Inc. (NYSE: DBRG) (the “Company” or “DigitalBridge”) today announced that funds affiliated with DigitalBridge Investment Management, the Company’s investment management platform, have completed the previously announced acquisition of a controlling stake in Vertical Bridge Holdings, LLC (“Vertical Bridge”), the largest private owner and operator of wireless communication infrastructure in the United States.
“We are pleased to extend our longstanding relationship with Vertical Bridge, the industry’s leading independent tower platform led by the preeminent tower management team,” said Steven Sonnenstein, Senior Managing Director of DigitalBridge Investment Management. “The rapidly increasing demand for telecommunications infrastructure in the United States has created exciting and meaningful opportunities for long-term growth. Our ownership position in Vertical Bridge is representative of our conviction in its future.”
Since its founding in 2014, Vertical Bridge has rapidly expanded its portfolio to include more than 308,000 owned or master-leased sites, including over 8,000 towers in the U.S. Vertical Bridge is well-positioned to continue this trend as it addresses the growing need for 5G services created by the continued popularity of next-generation digital devices.
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as financial advisor to DigitalBridge Investment Management in connection with the transaction and Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. served as legal counsel. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC acted as financial advisor to Vertical Bridge and Greenberg Traurig, LLP served as legal advisor.
About DigitalBridge
DigitalBridge (NYSE: DBRG) is a leading global digital infrastructure REIT. With a heritage of over 25 years investing in and operating businesses across the digital ecosystem including cell towers, data centers, fiber, small cells, and edge infrastructure, the DigitalBridge team manages a $35 billion portfolio of digital infrastructure assets on behalf of its limited partners and shareholders. Headquartered in Boca Raton, DigitalBridge has key offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, and Singapore.
About Vertical Bridge
Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC is the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure and locations in the United States, with a portfolio of more than 308,000 sites, including over 8,000 owned and master-leased towers and the nation’s largest and tallest collection of broadcast tower sites. The Company’s portfolio spreads across all 50 states and Puerto Rico and is comprised of towers, rooftops, billboards, utility attachments, convenience stores and other locations in support of wireless network deployments. In addition to colocation, Vertical Bridge offers build-to-suit, edge data centers and in-building wireless network solutions.
Based in Boca Raton, Florida, Vertical Bridge was founded in 2014 and is led by a senior management team with over 300 years of collective experience in tower infrastructure and related sectors. Vertical Bridge is certified CarbonNeutral® and in 2020, became the first tower company in the world to reach net-zero emissions. For more information, please visit http://www.verticalbridge.com
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” or “potential” or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases which are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and which do not relate solely to historical matters. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, and may cause actual results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. Factors that might cause such a difference include, without limitation, whether the Company will realize any of the anticipated benefits from the acquisition, the ability of Vertical Bridge to continue to grow its platform, the level of demand for digital infrastructure in the United States, the Company’s ability to continue to execute its digital transformation and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2021 and June 30, 2021, and its other reports filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s good faith beliefs, assumptions and expectations, but they are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions investors not to unduly rely on any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company is under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this press release, nor to conform prior statements to actual results or revised expectations, and the Company does not intend to do so.