Patria Investimentos exited Highline do Brasil through a sale to Digital Colony, Colony Capital’s digital infrastructure investment platform. Highline is a holding company created by Patria which controls wireless telecommunication assets in Brazil. The financial terms for the transaction were undisclosed.
(Press Release) Digital Colony Management, LLC (“Digital Colony”), the digital infrastructure investment platform of Colony Capital, Inc. (NYSE: CLNY), today announced Digital Colony Partners’ acquisition of Highline do Brasil II Infraestrutura de Telecomunicações S/A (“Highline”), an independent infrastructure solutions provider for the telecommunications industry, from Pátria Investments (“Pátria”). Financial terms of the private investment were not disclosed. Digital Colony is a leading global investor, owner and operator of companies enabling the next generation of mobile and internet connectivity.
Founded in 2012 by Pátria, Highline has a portfolio of wireless infrastructure assets, including macro towers, which spans all the major urban, suburban, and rural areas of Brazil. The company counts all of Brazil’s major mobile network operators (“MNOs”), including TIM, Vivo, Claro and Oi as its customers.
“We are thrilled to partner with Highline as we enter the Brazilian digital infrastructure market. The company has a best-in-class asset base, multiple avenues for growth, and a talented and strong management team well-versed in scaling a tower platform,” said Steven Sonnenstein, Managing Director at Digital Colony. “As Brazilian MNOs increase their 4G coverage, seek to augment capacity in the country’s dense urban areas and prepare their networks for 5G deployment, there is a significant opportunity for Highline to grow. We look forward to expanding on what Pátria has built and to helping the business serve its customers.”
Highline will continue to be led by CEO Fernando Viotti and an executive team with more than 80 years of collective experience in the Brazilian tower market. The management team has been responsible for scaling Highline from a startup into one of Brazil’s fastest-growing independent tower owners and operators.
“Whether considering how to alleviate current capacity overload or strategizing how to meet the network demands of 4G/5G adoption, IoT devices and overall subscriber usage, Brazilian MNOs have made macrosite location availability their top priority moving forward,” said Viotti. “Our partnership with Digital Colony will allow us to expand our services ‒ including our flagship BTS program ‒ to meet the growing infrastructure needs of the country’s MNOs, and offer new sites on which to deploy their equipment.”
Linklaters LLP served as legal counsel to Digital Colony. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Stocche Forbes served as legal counsel to Pátria.
About Digital Colony Management, LLC
Digital Colony Management, LLC (“Digital Colony”) is the global digital infrastructure investment platform of Colony Capital, Inc. (NYSE: CLNY) and a leading investor, owner and operator of companies enabling the next generation of mobile and internet connectivity. The vehicle was launched in 2018 by Digital Bridge Holdings, LLC and Colony Capital to bring together Digital Bridge’s industry, operational and investment expertise in the telecommunications sector with Colony Capital’s global scale, operating platform and capital markets access. For more information, please visit www.digitalcolony.com.
About Highline do Brasil II Infraestrutura de Telecomunicações S/A
Highline do Brasil (“Highline”) is an independent infrastructure solutions provider for the telecommunications industry. Our core business is the construction and operation of a portfolio of sites for installation of communication antennas: towers, rooftops, indoor systems and street-level sites. We invest in infrastructure projects and lease their capacity through long-term contracts, promoting an accelerated deployment of our clients’ networks. For more information, please visit www.highlinedobrasil.com.
About Patria Investments
Patria Investments is the leader in alternative asset management in Latin America, with over 30 years of experience in Private Equity, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Credit. Patria currently has ten offices in some of the world’s leading financial centers. Since 2010, Patria has Blackstone, a global leader in alternative investment management, as a relevant partner. Additional information is available at: www.patria.com.