- AtlasEdge will serve growing European demand for scalable data center capacity that brings applications and content closer to the Edge
- Liberty Global contributing digital real estate holdings into the Joint Venture (JV), highlighting strong underlying value while unlocking growth potential in partnership with DigitalBridge
- JV will create a European Edge infrastructure platform with over 100 active Edge facilities
- Seasoned industry executive Josh Joshi to become the Executive Chairman of the AtlasEdge Board of Directors upon closing of the JV, with a focus on extending the organization across Europe
- JV is expected to launch during Q3 2021 and is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions
Liberty Global (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB and LBTYK), one of the world’s leading converged video, broadband and communications companies, and DigitalBridge, a leading global investment firm dedicated to digital infrastructure, today announced the creation of AtlasEdge Data Centres, a European edge data center business.
The creation of the proposed JV is subject to receipt of customary regulatory and merger control approvals. Liberty Global and DigitalBridge expect the transaction to close in Q3 2021.
AtlasEdge will deliver services via an extensive network of facilities located close to consumer and enterprise end uAtlasEdge will deliver services via an extensive network of facilities located close to consumer and enterprise end users, the “edge” of the network. The company aims to serve the growing demand from cloud providers, streaming services and enterprises for high-performance, scalable and secure facilities through which they can distribute low-latency applications and services such as 5G, gaming, IOT and edge compute. As data traffic grows and gravitates to the edge of the network, AtlasEdge’s ability to access edge connectivity and efficiently distribute mission-critical and content-heavy data traffic will be increasingly relevant.
Liberty Global will contribute digital infrastructure assets, including its technical real estate portfolios, at levels consistent with European digital infrastructure valuations, highlighting the strong underlying value embedded in its businesses. Liberty Global will also provide strategic and operational support to the business. DigitalBridge will provide operating expertise, strategic direction and capital to support the significant growth and consolidation opportunity in edge co-location services across Europe.
Upon closing of the JV, seasoned industry executive Josh Joshi will join and lead AtlasEdge’s Board of Directors as Executive Chairman. Mr. Joshi has over 20 years of experience building value in the digital infrastructure sector, holding senior positions at several multinational companies including CFO of Interxion, a leading provider of carrier and cloud-neutral data center solutions across EMEA . Mr. Joshi will support the strategic growth of AtlasEdge with a focus on building the organization as well as extending its reach across European markets.
AtlasEdge will be supported by anchor tenancies from Liberty Global operating companies in four European countries: Virgin Media in the UK and in Ireland, Sunrise-UPC in Switzerland and UPC in Poland. With unprecedented local reach into consumers and businesses, AtlasEdge will provide infrastructure services to third parties at the edge with a focus on performance, low-latency, scalability, and quality of experience.
Mike Fries, CEO Liberty Global, comments:
Combining Liberty Global’s technical real estate and track record in building successful, sustainable businesses with Digital Colony’s expertise in digital infrastructure investment creates an exciting platform for growth that will deliver long-term value. The proposed joint venture presents significant growth opportunities as we look to build this business into a leading European edge data center operator. Furthermore, since several of our operating companies will become anchor tenants, Liberty Global customers will also benefit from better and more responsive services.”
Mike Fries, CEO Liberty Global
We are excited to be partnering with Liberty Global on the development of AtlasEdge. The proposed joint venture will unlock the growth potential of Liberty’s digital real estate holdings and capitalize on the emerging demand we are seeing for edge compute across Europe. It’s an opportunity for us to apply the entire DigitalBridge value-add playbook, leveraging our operating expertise, strategic M&A capabilities, and access to institutional capital in partnership with a world-class organization like Liberty Global. I also know AtlasEdge will benefit from Josh Joshi’s insights and network across the digital infrastructure landscape.”
Marc Ganzi President and CEO of DigitalBridge
About Liberty Global
Liberty Global (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB and LBTYK) is one of the world’s leading converged video, broadband and communications companies, with operations in seven European countries under the consumer brands Virgin Media, Telenet, UPC, the combined Sunrise UPC, as well as VodafoneZiggo, which is owned through a 50/50 joint venture. Our substantial scale and commitment to innovation enable us to invest in the infrastructure and digital platforms that empower our customers to make the most of the digital revolution.
Liberty Global delivers market-leading products through next-generation networks that connect customers sLiberty Global delivers market-leading products through next-generation networks that connect customers subscribing to 49 million broadband, video, fixed and mobile telephony services across our brands. We also have significant investments in ITV, All3Media, ITI Neovision, LionsGate, the Formula E racing series and several regional sports networks. For more information, please visit www.libertyglobal.com
About DigitalBridge
DigitalBridge (NYSE: DBRG) is a leading global digital infrastructure REIT. With a heritage of over 25 years of investing in and operating businesses across the digital ecosystem including cell towers, data centers, fiber, small cells, and edge infrastructure, the DigitalBridge team manages a $32 billion portfolio of digital infrastructure assets on behalf of its limited partners and shareholders. DigitalBridge is headquartered in Boca Raton with key offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, and Singapore. To learn more about DigitalBridge, visit www.digitalbridge.com.
Liberty Global
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DigitalBridge
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About AtlasEdge
AtlasEdge is a leading European Edge data centre platform with operations across 12 countries. Our distributed data centre portfolio allows customers to plan and shape their technology and network infrastructure to meet the growing requirements for lower latency, higher performance and localized solutions. Established in 2021, AtlasEdge is backed by a joint investment from Liberty Global, a world leader in converged broadband, video and mobile communications and an active investor in cutting-edge infrastructure, content, and technology ventures, and DigitalBridge, a leading global investment firm dedicated to digital infrastructure. Our portfolio includes data centres in growing markets across Europe, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Hamburg, London, Leeds, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Paris, Vienna, and Zurich. In February 2023, AtlasEdge successfully acquired Datacenter One, in Germany, which includes state-of-the-art data centres in Stuttgart, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, and Leverkusen.