Reference transaction
Advisor to HeLi NET
in an international investor process
Saxenhammer exclusively advised Helinet Telecommunications GmbH & Co. KG in an international investor process. The process has now been completed with extraordinary success.
HeLi NET has been established as a regional leading provider of telecommunications services in the Hellweg-Lippe region for many years. Founded as a subsidiary of the Stadtwerke Hamm, the Gemeindestadtwerke (GSW) Kamen, Bönen and Bergkamen as well as the Stadtwerke Ahlen and Soest, the company sees its core competence, in addition to wired communication services, in the sustainable expansion of the network infrastructure in Westphalia. The product and service portfolio includes VDSL (Vectoring DSL) and fiber optic connections, voice, WLAN and services. HeLi NET today focuses on network projects, particularly in the expansion of “white spots” in Kamen, Bergkamen-Bön and Hamm. After extensive restructuring of HeLi NET, it was possible to end a self-administration process by withdrawing the application, based on an agreement with Deutsche GigaNetz GmbH. Deutsche GigaNetz GmbH is planning investments of over EUR 200 million in the new Hellweg-Lippe giga region.
Deutsche GigaNetz GmbH is one of the leading German telecommunications companies for the development and expansion of fiber optic networks. By entering the market in 2020, Deutsche GigaNetz GmbH has already succeeded in concluding cooperation agreements with over 200 municipalities across Germany for the construction of high-quality fiber optic networks. The company currently has around 650 employees at 8 locations in 14 federal states.
In a currently challenging market environment, Deutsche GigaNetz GmbH is still able to continue on an ambitious and dynamic growth path. The company was only recently able to complete its second investment, financing together with an international banking consortium on December 6, 2023. Members of the consortium are ABN-AMRO, ING, KfW, KfW IPEX, LBBW, NordLB, Kommunalkredit Austria, SEB and NatWest. Deutsche GigaNetz GmbH's first round of financing of EUR 355 million was signed in July 2022 with an additional increase option of EUR 250 million. In addition, Deutsche GigaNetz GmbH now has another option to increase the amount by a further EUR 200 million. Also in 2022, DWS Group, a leading global asset manager based in Germany, joined Deutsche GigaNetz GmbH as the second main investor alongside InfraRed Capital Partners.
