Analysys Mason provides M&A due diligence services to UK deals
Global management consulting firm Analysys Mason has in recent weeks seen two of its deal mandates in the United Kingdom come to a successful close.
Announced earlier this month, broadband network provider Gigaclear has secured funding of up to £420 million from Equitix. The deal will back Gigaclear’s long-term ambition to provide service to more than 1 million premises by 2027 (currently 450,000 homes).
Gigaclear builds and operates the UK’s largest rural fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network delivering (ultra)fast full fibre broadband to rural communities across the UK. The company is principally owned by Infracapital, the infrastructure equity investment arm of M&G.
Commenting on the deal, Gareth Williams, CEO at Gigaclear, said: “There are more than one million additional homes and businesses in the UK for us to build to that fall within our company’s mission. Gigaclear will push forward, ensuring many more communities in rural England are able to benefit from the ultrafast full fibre broadband speeds enjoyed by their urban counterparts.”
“We are delighted Equitix has chosen to invest with us as we continue to expand our network to underserved rural towns and villages that would otherwise be left behind.”
With over $11.7 billion of assets under management, Equitix is one of the larger international investors and fund managers in infrastructure. The London-headquartered group invests primarily in the UK and Ireland, but also has assets under management in other parts of Europe, as well as further afield such as the Middle East and Asia.
During the deal process, Equitix’s M&A team was supported by Analysys Mason, which provided commercial and technical due diligence services.
Hugh Crossley, Chief Executive Officer at Equitix commented: “We are proud to partner with the Gigaclear team in delivering reliable, affordable, full fibre broadband to rural areas of the UK.”
Meanwhile, in April, Analysys Mason completed its deal work for Pure IP, a UK-based voice specialist that provides PSTN replacement services in 47 countries and number availability in 137 countries. The company’s specialty lies in integrating voice across existing communication platforms, systems and applications.
Analysys Mason provided commercial due diligence services to Pure IP during its sale to BCM One, a US-headquartered provider of business telecom services. The deal is BCM One’s fifth acquisition in the past two years.
“With the investment in Pure IP, the message clearly is if you’re a channel partner and you’re delivering PSTN services into collaborative tool sets, whether it’s Teams, Webex or Zoom, we’re the business to talk to. With the Pure IP acquisition, we’ve got a global footprint and we are a dominant player, particularly in the Microsoft Teams environment,” said Geoff Bloss, CEO at BCM One.
“The BCM One and Pure IP portfolios are very complementary and will provide a compelling proposition in addressing the changing needs of businesses around the world,” commented Gary Forrest, CEO of Pure IP. “The synergy between the two organisations will provide a solid foundation for future growth and benefits to our combined customers.”
Launched in 1985, Analysys Mason is a global consultancy specialised in the telecom, media and technology sectors. Last week, the firm was named the UK’s leading telecom consulting firms in the UK.
