EQT to buy Melita from Apax and Fortina

Harald Rösch

Private equity outfit EQT is to buy Maltese cable operator Melita from Apax Partners and Fortina Capital.

EQT’s infrastructure unit said it would support Melita’s growth by further upgrading its fixed and mobile networks and opening an additional data centre location on Malta.

It will also support Melita’s internationalisation strategy including its recent expansion in Italy as well as its IoT connectivity proposition.

Melita will continue to operate under the leadership of CEO Harald Rösch, who has been an advisor to EQT as well as serving as Melita CEO since April 2016.

Ulrich Köllensperger, Partner at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT Infrastructure IV, comments: “EQT has been built on a passion for developing companies. We invest in good companies across the globe with the aim of turning them not only into great companies but also sustainable ones. This is exactly the formula we aim to apply to Melita, which is already an innovator in the Maltese market and beyond in terms of infrastructure, products and customer service. As a result, we are confident that the coming months and years will be exciting and rewarding both for Melita’s employees and for its customers.”

Rösch said: “This transaction is another proof of our success over the last years, built on the hard work from all employees and support from our owners. Thanks to our customers’ continued loyalty and increased trust we have positioned Melita as a telecom market leader in Malta in terms of innovation, technology and customer satisfaction. With the backing of EQT Infrastructure and their extensive experience in our industry, we will continue the journey by developing our networks and providing outstanding customer experience in the years to come. Melita is ideally positioned to grow in the Maltese telecom market and beyond.”

Thomas de Villeneuve, partner at Apax Partners, saidhe was “proud of the journey achieved by Melita over those last three years”, while Duco Sickinghe, managing partner at Fortino Capital Partners, said he had enjoyed working with Apax and Melita’s management team to “build a leading telecom service provicer in Malta”.