Image: © steheap/Stock.adobe.com
Digital 9 said this is its first investment into wireless infrastructure, which is one of the company’s four target digital subsectors.
Digital 9 Infrastructure – through its subsidiary Digital 9 Wireless – has acquired Dublin-based enterprise broadband provider Host Ireland for around €60m.
Host Ireland owns and operates a broadband network in the greater Dublin area, providing high-speed wireless broadband to around 1,600 enterprise customers including multinational corporates, government bodies and technology companies.
The company says its millimetre wave network can provide higher speeds than traditional fibre networks.
Investment trust Digital 9 Infrastructure was formed last year and is overseen by London-based Triple Point Investment Management. It invests in critical digital infrastructure assets.
Digital 9 said this is its first investment into wireless infrastructure, which is one of the company’s four target digital subsectors. The company aims to have a portfolio comprising scalable technologies such as subsea fibre, data centres, terrestrial fibre and wireless networks.
Triple Point Investment Management’s head of digital infrastructure, Thor Johnsen, said: “We are very pleased to have completed the acquisition of Host Ireland, D9’s first wireless networks investment. The Host Ireland team has built a strong business and we look forward to working with them to accelerate the company’s expansion plans.”
Digital 9 Infrastructure’s first acquisition was Aqua Comms, a Dublin-based company that specialises in subsea fibre-optic cable networks, which it purchased last year for $215m. It also owns Verne Global, a UK-headquartered company that operates a data centre campus in Iceland.
Last January, Eir revealed plans to sell its majority stake in secure communications provider Tetra Ireland to Digital 9 for €76m. However, the deal was dependent on an agreement with other shareholders Sigma Networks and Motorola. In the end, Motorola acquired a 100pc stake in Tetra Ireland last month for an undisclosed figure.
Digital 9 Infrastructure said the number in its name is based on the ninth UN Sustainable Development Goal, which is about building resilient infrastructure. The investment trust is focusing on investments that increase connectivity globally and improve the sustainability of digital infrastructure.
10 things you need to know direct to your inbox every weekday. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of essential sci-tech news.
