Ukrainian telecommunications operator Datagroup announced that it has completed the acquisition of the operator Volia, the country's Pay-TV and broadband service provider.
According to a press release from the national fiber infrastructure and digital services provider in Ukraine, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) supported the deal by providing $65 million in the financing, the largest EBRD loan to Ukraine's telecommunications, media, and technology sector.
Datagroup is 96% owned by a fund managed by Horizon Capital, with its CEO holding remaining shares.
With the merger of Datagroup and Volia, the combined Group will play an even greater role in bringing new digital services to over 40 million Ukrainians, said the release.
Mikhail Shelemba, Datagroup's Chief Executive Officer said: "The merger between Datagroup and Volia has created a national fixed-line leader across key customer segments – B2C, B2B, and wholesale. The combined network will cover over 4 million Ukrainian households in the country's top 50 cities. With over 30,000 kilometers of fiber infrastructure, it will be one of the largest networks in the country. "
"In addition to solidifying our customer segments, the new organization will focus on offering new complementary services to its clients: cloud and cybersecurity for B2B customers, and IoT and OTT solutions for retail customers," Mikhail added.
Recently, Datagroup launched a full-scale modernization project of its network, in partnership with Cisco, that will increase its throughput capacity by more than 10 times, with the potential to scale up to 20 times, he said.
OTT platform Volia means over 180 channels, including its package of five Cine+ movie channels, showing the highest-rated movies. We are proud of our partnerships and the content deals we have in place with the biggest international and Ukrainian studios, including Disney, Universal, Film.ua, and Paramount.
