Macquarie signs agreement to take stake in Italy’s Open Fiber

Aug. 9, 2021
Open Fiber operates an open FTTH network that passes more than 12 million households in more than 180 urban centers and more than 2,300 rural municipalities across Italy. The company plans to pass more than 19 million households in the future.

Macquarie Asset Management has agreed with Enel to acquire a 40% equity interest in Open Fiber, Italy’s largest fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) operator, for 2.12 billion euros. The remaining 60% equity stake is pending purchase by CDP Equity.

Open Fiber operates an open FTTH network that passes more than 12 million households in more than 180 urban centers and more than 2,300 rural municipalities across Italy. The company plans to pass more than 19 million households in the future.

“Enhancing access to reliable, ultrafast broadband is key if households and businesses across Italy are to harness the significant opportunities presented by a more connected society and economy,” says Jiri Zrust, senior managing director at Macquarie Asset Management.

Macquarie Asset Management has invested in Italy since 2002 and has supported the rollout of high-capacity digital infrastructure networks across Europe, including the United Kingdom, Denmark and Poland.

This latest transaction is targeted for completion in the fourth quarter of 2021, subject to closing conditions and necessary approvals from Italy’s Council of Ministers and the European Commission Competition Authority.

For related articles, visit the Business Topic Center.

For more information on FTTx technology and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.

To stay abreast of fiber network deployments, subscribe to Lightwave’s Service Providers and Datacom/Data Center newsletters.

Sponsored Recommendations

Unveiling the Synergy Between AI and Optical Networking

March 12, 2025
Join us for an engaging discussion with industry experts on the intersection of AI and optics. Moderated by Sean Buckley, editor-in-chief of Lightwave+BTR, this panel will explore...

Transforming the metro network and the evolution of the "Digital Service Provider"

March 4, 2025
Join experts at EXFO and Ekinops in this webinar that will review the evolving metro-centric requirements and the technologies emerging to meet them.

Innovations Optical Transceivers

March 10, 2025
The continual movement around artificial intelligence (AI) cluster environments is driving new sales of optical transceiver sales and the adoption of linear pluggable optics (...

Innovating the network edge with 100ZR QSFP28: The next frontier in coherent optics

Jan. 15, 2025
In this webinar, Juniper Networks, EXFO and Precision Optical Technologies are teaming up to showcase the new 100ZR QSFP28 pluggable coherent technology, exploring its foundational...