Digital Realty To Buy Major Stake In Teraco

(RTTNews) - Digital Realty (DLR), Monday said it has agreed to buy a major stake in Teraco, Africa-based carrier-neutral colocation provider, from a consortium of investors, including Berkshire Partners and Permira, in a transaction valuing Teraco at about $3.5 billion.

After closing, Digital Realty will own about 55% of the total interests in Teraco, while the remaining 45% will be held by a consortium of existing investors, including management, Berkshire Partners LLC, Permira, van Rooyen Group, Columbia Capital, Stepstone Ventures and the Teraco Connect Trust.

"This highly strategic transaction immediately cements Digital Realty as the leading colocation and interconnection provider in Africa, a region experiencing rapid digital transformation," said Digital Realty Chief Executive Officer A. William Stein. "Teraco is the industry leader in South Africa and the continent's connectivity hub. This investment will enhance our ability to serve customers on a global basis by adding significant regional scale with a premier, network-dense portfolio in South Africa's most strategically important metros."

Teraco Chief Executive Officer Jan Hnizdo added, "We are excited to enter our next chapter by joining forces with Digital Realty to create a truly global, scaled platform serving our customers in Africa and beyond. Our combined platform will be uniquely positioned to serve the full customer spectrum with the ability to support their growth around the world. We look forward to working with the Digital Realty team to extend our state-of-the-art data center and connectivity solutions to capitalize on the favorable industry trends and tremendous market opportunity."

The transaction is expected to be approximately 1% dilutive to Digital Realty's core FFO per share in 2022, breakeven in 2023, and accretive to financial metrics and the growth trajectory of the combined organization thereafter.

The deal will be financed through a combination of proceeds from Digital Realty's private capital and capital recycling initiatives. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2022.