EQT acquires the leading Maltese telecom operator Melita

• EQT Infrastructure acquires Melita from Apax Partners and Fortino Capital
  
  
• Melita owns state of the art converged fixed and mobile telecom infrastructure and is the market leading operator on Malta
  
  
• EQT Infrastructure to support growth of Melita by investing in its network and is committed to continue to provide high quality services to current and future customer
  
  

EQT Infrastructure IV (“EQT” or “EQT Infrastructure”), has signed an agreement to acquire Melita Limited (“Melita” or the “Company”) from Apax Partners and Fortino Capital

Founded in 1991, Melita is a fully converged and diversified telecommunication infrastructure owner as well as a leading services provider in Malta. Melita services consumers, business and government customers on Malta with mainly four types of products: nationwide Gigabit broadband services for households and small businesses, mobile and fixed telephony as well as TV services. Melita also offers colocation services and operates a purpose-built data centre. Melita will continue to operate under the leadership of CEO Harald Rösch, a longstanding Industrial Advisor to EQT.

EQT Infrastructure intends to support Melita’s growth by further upgrading its fixed and mobile networks and opening an additional data centre location on Malta. It will also support Melita’s internationalization strategy including its expansion in Italy as well as its innovative IoT connectivity proposition.

Ulrich Köllensperger, Partner at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT Infrastructure IV, comments: “EQT has been built on a passion for developing companies. We invest in good companies across the globe with the aim of turning them not only into great companies but also sustainable ones. This is exactly the formula we aim to apply to Melita, which is already an innovator in the Maltese market and beyond in terms of infrastructure, products and customer service. As a result, we are confident that the coming months and years will be exciting and rewarding both for Melita’s employees and for its customers.”

Harald Rösch, CEO of Melita, said: “This transaction is another proof of our success over the last years, built on the hard work from all employees and support from our owners. Thanks to our customers’ continued loyalty and increased trust we have positioned Melita as a telecom market leader in Malta in terms of innovation, technology and customer satisfaction. With the backing of EQT Infrastructure and their extensive experience in our industry, we will continue the journey by developing our networks and providing outstanding customer experience in the years to come. Melita is ideally positioned to grow in the Maltese telecom market and beyond.”

The parties have agreed not to disclose financial details of the transaction. The proposed transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Clifford Chance and Ganado Advocates acted as legal advisors to EQT Infrastructure. 

Contacts
Ulrich Köllensperger, Partner at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT Infrastructure, +41 44 266 68 08
EQT Press office, +46 8 506 55 334
Malta: Conway Wigg, BPC Communications, +356 2124 321, info@bpc.com.mt

About EQT
EQT is a leading investment firm with more than EUR 61 billion in raised capital across 29 funds and around EUR 40 billion in assets under management. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtpartners.com

About Melita 
Founded in 1991, Melita is the market leading operator and owner of future-proof and converged fixed and mobile telecom infrastructure on Malta, offering mobile, fixed telephony, broadband and TV services to consumers, businesses and government clients. Melita also offers colocation services and operates a purpose-built data center.

More info: www.melita.com 

About Apax
Apax Partners is a leading European private equity firm based in Paris. With more than 45 years of experience, Apax Partners provides long-term equity funding to build and strengthen world-class companies. Funds managed and advised by Apax Partners exceed €3.3 billion. These funds invest in fast-growing middle-market companies across four sectors of specialisation: TMT, Consumer, Healthcare and Services.Paris-headquartered Apax Partners (www.apax.fr) and London-headquartered Apax Partners (www.apax.com) have a shared history but are separate, independent firms

More info: www.apax.fr

About Fortino Capital Partners  
Fortino Capital Partners is an investment company that was founded in 2013 and is led by Duco Sickinghe, Renaat Berckmoes and Matthias Vandepitte. Fortino Capital invests in remarkable companies of today and tomorrow and actively helps companies to capture opportunities. They accelerate businesses and turn ambition into growth. The company manages a venture capital fund of EUR 80 million and a digital growth fund of EUR 200 million, which focuses on software and digital transformation. Fortino Capital's investment portfolio includes Teamleader, Bloomon, Aproplan and MobileXpense, among others.

More info: www.fortino.be

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