Digital Infrastructure
Our multi-disciplinary tech and innovation team frequently advise clients in the fast-paced world of digital infrastructure.
Sectors and Services
There is no doubt that the global pandemic has accelerated the emergence of digital infrastructure as a distinct asset class.
The shift towards remote working has seen an unprecedented number of technological advances happen almost overnight, with the pace of digitalisation increasing in line with a growing demand for connectivity.
For private equity investors and telecoms companies, the rise of the smart city offers limitless chances to buy, sell and finance digital infrastructure assets; BDB Pitmans are on hand to help you navigate the challenges (and opportunities) presented by a rapidly changing landscape.
Our Digital Infrastructure practice comprises of a specialist team of lawyers drawn from various areas across the firm,
including Corporate, Commercial, Employment, Immigration, Real Estate, Litigation, Information Law and Data Protection. We work in genuine partnership with our colleagues and our clients to provide innovative legal solutions and guide you through the complex, unusual and the everyday, working collaboratively to meet your goals.
Boasting a wealth of technical and regulatory knowledge, we provide a one stop-shop for investors, developers and operators seeking to manage assets in fast moving areas including 5G, fibre and broadband and data centres.
We also have a specialist private equity team dedicated to digital infrastructure investments and have advised on numerous investments in the UK, in both fibre and broadband.
Key highlights include acting for:
- M12 Solutions Limited’s shareholders. The shareholders of M12 Solutions Limited sold the entire issued share capital of the company, an internet service provider, to Fern Fibre Limited and Octopus Investments Limited. The acquisition was coupled with a £250 million fundraising package which offered high-speed, full fibre broadband to two million homes and businesses across the UK.
- Harwood Capital. QCL Holdings Limited is the holding company of Quickline Communications Limited, a broadband services provider. Harwood’s £7.75 million investment in to QCL Holdings Limited was part of an overall package securing £12m of funding for Quickline, with Harwood investing £3.87 million on day one, and making a commitment to subscribe for a further £3.87 million in tranches over the next two years. This took place alongside an investment from Paul Howard and a new £4 million revolving credit facility with HSBC.
- County Broadband. The team first acted for County Broadband in connection with a transformational investment of £46 millionfrom Aviva Investors through their infrastructure equity platform in 2018. Aviva put £1.8 million into County Broadband for 49% equity in the business and provided a £44 million secured loan facility.
- County Broadband. BDB Pitmans assisted County Broadband again in 2022, helping them to secure their second tranche of private investment funding from Aviva, a sum of £100million.
These two injections of investment funding accelerated County Broadband’s expansion strategy allowing them to service thousands of homes in Essex and under-served rural areas in the East of England. - ITS Technology Limited. The team assisted wholesale full fibre provider, ITS Technology Group (ITS), in securing £100 million of funding in a second private investment from Aviva Investors. This additional funding enabled ITS to continue to fast track the rollout of its ‘Faster Britain’ full fibre networks – its wholesale open access network footprint and partner programme, which delivers ultrafast full fibre digital infrastructure to major towns and cities across the UK.
Full fibre
Full fibre, Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) or Fibre to the Home (FTTH) is the number one solution for companies seeking to future-proof their businesses long past the Great Switch Off in 2025. The pandemic has made fibre a priority; with video conferencing, entertainment streaming and gaming more popular than ever, consumer appetite is at an all time high. For investors seeking to capitalise on the rapid growth in this sector, BDB Pitmans are on hand to provide advice for companies dealing with complex regulation and planning issues ahead of fibre roll-out.
5G
BDB Pitman’s in-depth understanding of the marketplace and emerging technologies makes them the ideal law firm to have on your side in the increasingly competitive wireless sector.
Ultra high-speed, ultra-high reliability 5G cellular networks represent a next-generation wireless communication protocol that promises to transform the way we live and offers opportunities for revenue growth in the process. With over 25 billion connected devices expected by 2025, 5G will hold the key to critical infrastructure applications across the world.
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