APG, on behalf of ABP, and Orange Polska jointly acquire Nexera, a leading fiber company in Poland, in order to enlarge its joint venture Światłowód Inwestycje by 800,000 households, in a complementary and synergetic transaction.
This transaction underscores Orange Polska (‘OPL’s’) and APG, on behalf of ABP, commitment to investments in fiber infrastructure in Poland. It will contribute to the significant development of Światłowód Inwestycje, expanding its footprint ambition to nearly 3.7 million households connectable by 2028. This joint venture, co-controlled by OPL and APG, is the largest pure fiber wholesale operator in Poland.
Significant operational and cost synergies
The Nexera and Światłowód Inwestycje networks are highly complementary as they are fully built in Fiber to the Home technology (FTTH), located in attractive wholesale regions and carry almost no overlap between each other. The transaction will contribute to higher efficiency of operations of both networks owing to expected significant operational and cost synergies. Contribution of Nexera to Światłowód Inwestycje, which has stable and long term oriented strategic shareholders, will benefit Nexera’s stability and resilience.
Nexera’s FTTH network encompasses close to 800,000 households connectable the vast majority of which located in small towns and rural areas with high saturation prospects. There are around 280,000 retail customers on Nexera’s network who are direct customers of retail telecom operators (including OPL).
Nexera will be a co-controlled entity and 50/50% owned by OPL and APG, similarly to Światłowód Inwestycje. In the next step, the two partners will contribute Nexera to Światłowód Inwestycje. Światłowód Inwestycje operates in a fully open wholesale model, ensuring an equal and non-discriminatory access to all providers of retail broadband services in Poland.
Strategic fit
Arjan Reinders, Head of Infrastructure Europe at APG commented: “APG is delighted to announce the acquisition of Nexera, on behalf of its client ABP, further strengthening our commitment to the Polish FTTH sector. Since the inception of Światłowód Inwestycje, we have invested in expanding fiber infrastructure in Poland, and Nexera represents a perfect strategic fit. Its geographic footprint complements Światłowód Inwestycje and will accelerate the platform’s growth toward nearly 3.7 million households by 2028. We are pleased to continue our partnership with Orange Polska, sharing a long-term vision for advancing Poland’s fiber network and supporting the country’s digital transformation and economic growth.”
Closing of the transaction is conditional upon its approval by the European Commission.