March 2018
Summary: INFRACAPITAL’S SUCCESS IN this inaugural category is a cross-platform victory, a demonstration of the growing importance of the sector.
The firm began the year by increasing its investment in the UK rural broadband provider Gigaclear, offering a further £60 million ($84.3 million; €68.3 million) on top of the £30 million it invested in the company in May 2015. The Gigaclear injection came through the group’s greenfield fund, which was to close later in the year on £1.25 billion.
Its next involvement in the sector came as the UK government appointed Infracapital to manage the Digital Infrastructure Investment Partners fund and improve the fibre rollout across the country. It made its first deployment in November, providing £35 million to the Isle of Wight-based WightFibre, a joint deal with the greenfield fund.
Infracapital compounded its success in the space by teaming up with Nokia in Poland to build and operate advanced fibre optic networks.