PTI bolsters tower footprint in urban France

Phoenix Tower International (PTI) has closed on two transactions yielding it 1,978 sites in dense urban areas across France.

The deals in question include 1,226 sites hosting SFR through a subsidiary owned by PTI, and the expansion of the firm’s subsidiary Phoenix France Infrastructures 2, with the addition of 752 sites hosting Bouygues Telecom.

This puts 3,600 French sites in PTI’s pocket, and it is on track to own and operate over 5,000 sites in the region within two years, we’re told. This means France will be the firm’s largest market across the 21 countries it operates in, based on number of sites.

“With these transactions, PTI diversifies its portfolio across France with sites located all over the country, including major cities to better serve the populations with strong wireless connectivity,” said Dagan Kasavana, CEO of PTI. “France is one of the most dynamic telecom markets in Europe and PTI’s growth will continue facilitating coverage deployments for all French wireless operators across the country. We are pleased to have collaborated with the professionals at Cellnex, Bouygues Telecom and SFR on these transactions.”

Tim Culver, Executive Chairman of PTI added: “These various transactions continue to strengthen PTI’s commitment to France and the European Market.  We are excited to continue to expand our relationship with our customers and pursue the implementation of our business model in France which will be a catalyst for improved coverage for all carriers.”

Last year PTI announced that it had completed an agreement to acquire 1,226 sites in ‘very dense areas’ in France from Cellnex, and another 2,000 with its JV partner Bouygues Telecom.

The firm has been snapping up towers in a number of regions in the last few years – including 3800 in Chile last year, and 650 in Ireland. Through its subsidiaries, it will own and operate over 22,000 towers throughout Europe, the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, pro forma for these transactions, we’re told.

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