3i’s telecoms experience goes back many years.  We’ve had a particularly strong focus on the sector over the last decade, making more than 25 investments over the last 5 years.  Our current portfolio of more than 45 companies is worth over €175m.

For start-up and early-stage investments, we focus on Europe and the US.  Our existing Growth Capital and Buyouts investments have mainly been in Europe but increasingly we aim to support well-established telecoms businesses in Asia and the US.

To grow the businesses we partner, we use 3i’s global network, local knowledge and international connections:

• Building scale through acquisitions.  Through 15 acquisitions, we helped build Azzurri into a major operation that filled a gap in the UK market for a national telecoms company focused on services to small and medium-sized businesses.  As the scale of Azzurri grew, it negotiated large discounts from suppliers.  The success of this complex buy-and-build strategy was due to outstanding leadership from a top team that we had worked with on previous investments.