NEW YORK & PARIS & LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Antin Infrastructure Partners (Paris:ANTIN) and OpticalTel today jointly announced that Antin has acquired a majority interest in OpticalTel, a leading fiber broadband provider in Florida. OpticalTel is Antin’s sixth investment through its mid cap fund.
Founded in 2004 by Mario Bustamante, OpticalTel is a fast-growing provider of essential high-speed internet and telecommunication services, with a focus on residential bulk contracts to customers located in homeowners and condo-owners associations. Antin’s investment will support the next chapter of OpticalTel’s growth as it deepens its customer relationships in existing markets and further expands its geographic footprint throughout the region, while continuing to deliver exceptional service to its valued customers.
Mr. Bustamante will retain an ownership stake in OpticalTel and remain on the board of directors. Luis Rodriguez, CEO and President, will continue to lead the company with the support of its long-tenured management team. As an experienced fiber investor, Antin will leverage its expertise to support OpticalTel’s business plan.
Kevin Genieser, Senior Partner at Antin, stated: “We see this partnership with the OpticalTel team as an immense growth opportunity. Fiber is at the core of modern infrastructure, providing mission-critical, low-latency bandwidth services to a customer base that has increasing demand for data. We believe OpticalTel is very well-positioned to meet this need in the fast-growing Florida market.”
Luis Rodriguez, CEO and President of OpticalTel, commented: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Antin as we enter the next chapter of OpticalTel’s journey. The strength of our relationships in the region speaks to our ability to deliver best-in-class technology and connectivity to our customers. With Antin’s support, we are excited to scale and continue executing at the highest level for those we serve.”
Mario Bustamante, Founder of OpticalTel, added: “Since founding OpticalTel 18 years ago, I have sought to provide essential connectivity services to those in my community. I am grateful to all those that helped build OpticalTel over the years and for Antin’s commitment to support the team going forward.”
Lazard and RBC Capital Markets served as financial advisors to OpticalTel while Latham & Watkins served as legal advisor. TD Securities served as financial advisor to Antin while Greenberg Traurig served as legal advisor. Citizens (administrative agent), CIT (a division of First Citizens Bank) and TD Securities acted as lead arrangers on the debt financing.
The transaction is expected to close in early 2023, subject to customary regulatory approvals.
About OpticalTel
Founded in 2004 and based in Coral Gables, Florida, OpticalTel is a regional fiber broadband provider serving large areas of South and Central Florida. OpticalTel offers a wide range of products and services, including high-speed internet, cloud-based video, and digital telephony services. OpticalTel serves a variety of communities including homeowners and condo-owners associations, student housing and assisted living facilities.
About Antin Infrastructure Partners
Antin Infrastructure Partners is a leading private equity firm focused on infrastructure. With over €29 billion in assets under management across its Flagship, Mid Cap and NextGen investment strategies, Antin targets investments in the energy and environment, digital, transport and social infrastructure sectors. With offices in Paris, London, New York, Singapore and Luxembourg, Antin employs over 190 professionals dedicated to growing, improving and transforming infrastructure businesses while delivering long-term value to portfolio companies and investors. Majority owned by its partners, Antin is listed on Euronext Paris (Ticker: ANTIN – ISIN: FR0014005AL0).
