EQT to buy Maltese telco Melita from Apax and Fortino

EQT Infrastructure has signed an agreement to acquire Maltese telco Melita Ltd from Apax Partners and Fortino Capital, according to a press statement issued by EQT AB on News Cision.

The parties have agreed not to disclose financial details of the transaction. The proposed transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals. Clifford Chance and Ganado Advocates acted as legal advisors to EQT Infrastructure.

EQT Infrastructure says it intends to support Melita’s growth by further upgrading its fixed and mobile networks and opening an additional data centre location on Malta. It will also support Melita’s internationalisation strategy including its expansion in Italy as well as its innovative IoT connectivity proposition.

“This transaction is another proof of our success over the last years, built on the hard work from all employees and support from our owners,” said Harald Rösch, CEO of Melita.

“Thanks to our customers’ continued loyalty and increased trust we have positioned Melita as a telecom market leader in Malta in terms of innovation, technology and customer satisfaction. With the backing of EQT Infrastructure and their extensive experience in our industry, we will continue the journey by developing our networks and providing outstanding customer experience in the years to come. Melita is ideally positioned to grow in the Maltese telecom market and beyond,” the CEO added.

“EQT has been built on a passion for developing companies. We invest in good companies across the globe with the aim of turning them not only into great companies but also sustainable ones,” said Ulrich Köllensperger, Partner at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT Infrastructure IV.

“This is exactly the formula we aim to apply to Melita, which is already an innovator in the Maltese market and beyond in terms of infrastructure, products and customer service. As a result, we are confident that the coming months and years will be exciting and rewarding both for Melita’s employees and for its customers,” Mr Köllensperger added.

“We are very proud of the journey achieved by Melita over those last three years. Under the leadership of Harald, Melita has heavily invested in its network and its digital transformation to become a world-class operator. We congratulate Harald and the whole Melita team for the amazing work they have achieved that also benefits the whole Maltese community,” said Thomas de Villeneuve, Partner at Apax Partners.

“We have enjoyed working with Apax Partners and Melita’s dedicated management team to build a leading telecom service provider in Malta. A company that every day again tries to serve its customers in the best possible way by using the latest available technologies,” said Duco Sickinghe, Managing Partner at Fortino Capital Partners.

EDITORIAL NOTE: The present story was updated with the comments of Thomas de Villeneuve and Duco Sickinghe, accompanied by changing the cover picture.