T-Mobile and KKR Announce Joint Venture to Acquire Metronet

T-Mobile reports

T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS), America’s 5G leader and fastest-growing fixed wireless broadband provider, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to establish a joint venture (JV) with leading global investment firm KKR (NYSE: KKR) that will acquire Metronet including its broadband infrastructure, rapidly growing residential fiber business operations and existing customers. As part of the transaction, the JV will also acquire Oak Hill Capital’s existing stake. Oak Hill Capital will re-invest to retain a minority position and founder John Cinelli will also retain a minority position once the deal closes.

Metronet is uniquely positioned as the fastest-growing pure play fiber company in the U.S. and an experienced independent fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) operator. The company currently reaches more than 2 million homes and businesses across 17 states with fiber solutions built on a state-of-the art broadband platform. Following the transaction’s close, Metronet will become a wholesale services provider for its retail customers and 100% of its residential fiber retail operations and customers will transition to T-Mobile. T-Mobile will have full responsibility for residential customer acquisition and support, leveraging its differentiated retail, marketing, brand and service model, and will utilize Metronet’s deep digital and fiber infrastructure expertise to expand to more households with fiber broadband services. Metronet will focus on build plans, network engineering and design, network deployment, and customer installation. Following the transaction close, Metronet is expected to be self-funding on a go forward basis and it is expected to reach 6.5 million homes passed by the end of 2030. To support this business plan T-Mobile does not expect to make any additional capital contributions to the JV.

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About Ann Treacy

Librarian who follows rural broadband in MN and good uses of new technology (blandinonbroadband.org), hosts a radio show on MN music (mostlyminnesota.com), supports people experiencing homelessness in Minnesota (elimstrongtowershelters.org) and helps with social justice issues through Women’s March MN.

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