KKR, a leading global investment firm, last week announced an agreement with Telefónica Colombia to establish Colombia’s first independent nationwide open access wholesale digital infrastructure company.
On a mission to bring greater broadband access across Colombia, the new company will expand availability of ultra-fast fiber optic internet, benefitting more consumers and businesses across Colombia. As part of the agreement, KKR will acquire a majority stake in Telefónica's existing fiber optic network, the largest in Colombia, and make the network open access through a newly established independent entity, which KKR will control as the majority shareholder. Telefónica will be a minority shareholder in the new company, with a 40% stake.
The company will be run independently by a local team in Colombia but brings together the expertise of both KKR and Telefónica to build and operate Colombia’s premier digital infrastructure network. Recently, the companies similarly joined efforts to establish ON*NET Fibra as Chile’s first open access wholesale fiber optic network.
Upon closing of the transaction, Telefónica’s existing fiber optic network will become open access and available for all internet service providers in Colombia to utilize, including Telefónica. With the investment from KKR, the new company plans to expand existing fiber optic coverage from approximately 1.2 million homes today to, at minimum, 4.3 million homes by the end of 2024, covering at least 87 municipal areas in Colombia, with more than half consisting of underserved areas outside of high-income urban areas.
Waldemar Szlezak, senior leader of KKR's infrastructure investment team
We are thrilled to, once again, be working with Telefónica to provide greater broadband access to those who need it, and to be doing so in Colombia, a country we believe is primed for significant growth ahead and which serves as an attractive destination for investors.
Alfonso Gómez Palacio, CEO of Telefónica Spanish-speaking Latin America
The agreement with KKR will accelerate the deployment of fiber optic in Colombia at an unprecedented rate, in a market that has shown enormous potential in the last year.
