Cellnex and BT sign a high towers agreement in the UK

Cellnex obtains marketing and operating rights for 220 BT high towers distributed throughout the United Kingdom for a period of 20 years 

A first step towards potential future industrial cooperation between the two companies

• Cellnex has acquired the marketing and operation rights for 220 high towers from BT for the next 20 years. The agreement, worth c. £ 100 million, includes a commitment to explore further opportunities between the two companies in the UK.
• Cellnex will operate the telecom sites on behalf of BT, and will offer new equipment co-location services to voice and data operators and to other electronic communications operators.
• This operation consolidates Cellnex’s position as a leading telecommunications infrastructure operator in the UK, enhancing the Company’s ability to seize further opportunities in the British market.

Barcelona, 5^th June 2019: Cellnex Telecom and BT have signed a long-term strategic agreement according to which Cellnex has obtained the rights to operate and market 220 high towers located throughout the United Kingdom. The agreement sees Cellnex increase the total amount of telecom sites it manages in the UK by almost 40%.

Cellnex will manage the existing service contracts for these sites and both companies will share in the additional revenue streams that Cellnex is expected to generate from them. Cellnex and BT are committed to exploring the potential for further collaborative opportunities in the UK telecommunications market.

Alex Mestre, Cellnex’s Global Business Managing Director, said:

“Today’s deal paves the way for future long-term cooperation between Cellnex and BT. Both companies are committed to exploring joint projects and cooperation in areas that will be key in rolling out 5G.

“For Cellnex, this deal is a landmark first step into the UK market and follows our recent successful acquisitions of 10,700 sites from Iliad and Salt as well as a strong set of Q1 results. This agreement demonstrates the Company’s commitment and confidence in the market as we look ahead to further opportunities in the UK.”

Alex Tempest, Managing Director, Wholesale at BT said:

“We are pleased to be working with Cellnex to help bring a more flexible approach to the UK’s site share market. BT and its EE mobile arm recently switched on the UK’s first 5G network across six cities and as the roll-out of 5G continues, agreements such as these will be an important part of bringing the benefits of the technology to as many parts of the country as possible.”

About Cellnex Telecom 

Cellnex Telecom is Europe’s leading operator of wireless telecommunications and broadcasting infrastructures with a portfolio of 45,000 sites including forecast roll-outs up to 2027. Cellnex operates in Spain, Italy, Netherlands, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The company closed the 2018 financial year with revenues of € 901 million (up 14%) and EBITDA of € 591 million (up 18%).

Cellnex’s business is structured in four major areas: telecommunication infrastructures services; audiovisual broadcasting networks; security and emergency service networks and solutions for smart urban infrastructure and services management (Smart cities and the Internet of Things (IoT)).

The company is listed on the continuous market of the Spanish stock exchange and is part of the selective IBEX 35, EuroStoxx 600 and MSCI Europe indices. It is also part of the FTSE4GOOD, CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), Sustainalytics and “Standard Ethics” sustainability indexes.

Cellnex’s reference shareholders include ConnecT, with a 29.9% stake in the share capital, as well as CriteriaCaixa, Blackrock, Wellington Management Group and Canada Pension Plan, holding smaller stakes.