Shoosmiths advise on two strategic divestments for D9 Infrastructure Plc and InfraRed Capital Partners

Law firm Shoosmiths has advised on two strategic divestments for D9 Infrastructure Plc, an investment company managed by InfraRed Capital Partners (IRCP), which invests in digital infrastructure.

A multi-disciplinary team of experts from Shoosmiths advised D9 in relation to the sale of a specialist operator of Trans-Atlantic and intra-European subsea fibre infrastructure. Aqua Comms to EXA Infrastructure (a portfolio company of funds managed by I Squared Capital), led by corporate partner Helen Burnell, including partner David Meisel, tax legal director Sarah Buxton, partner Simon Barnes, legal director Manu Mohan, legal director Natalia Tombs, principal associate Lisa Faragher, senior associates Molly Vandervell and Francis Tsui and associate Jess Dancer.

Aqua Comms is an Ireland-based operator specialising in operating submarine cable systems and supplying fibre pairs, spectrum and wholesale network capacity to the global content, cloud, carrier & enterprise markets.  It is the owner/operator of America Europe Connect-1 (AEC-1), America Europe Connect-2 (AEC-2), and CeltixConnect-1 (CC-1), and is part of a consortium that owns/operates the Amitié cable system (AEC-3).

A second cross-practice team, led by commercial partner and energy and infrastructure sector head at Shoosmiths James Wood Robertson included partner Lisa Sigalet and legal directors Jennifer Clarke and Jen Paton, advised on the disposal of $42m EMIC-1 cable.

The EMIC-1 subsea cable system, which connects Europe, the Middle East, and India, is a carrier-neutral network platform that includes both subsea and terrestrial infrastructure
Further advice from across the firm spanned competition, tax, incentives, commercial, real estate, telecommunications, data protection and other key practice areas.

Helen Burnell, client and corporate partner at Shoosmiths, said: “Digital infrastructure is a key focus area and strength within our sector group and these two latest transactions further cements our strong credentials in this space.  We are proud to have advised IRCP and D9 Infrastructure Plc on these strategic divestments. These transactions demonstrate Shoosmiths’ expertise in handling complex digital infrastructure deals.”

James Wood-Robertson, commercial partner and energy and infrastructure sector head at Shoosmiths, added: “Our multi-disciplinary Energy & Infrastructure sector team worked diligently to ensure a smooth process across both divestments. These strategic transactions are a testament to Shoosmiths’ expertise in the digital infrastructure sector capability in managing complex transactions across various practice areas.”

James O’Halloran, partner & co-lead of IRCP’s European infrastructure team, commented: “These divestments mark a significant step forward in delivering on the D9 managed wind-down mandate, and we are immensely grateful to Shoosmiths for their guidance and support in executing these two complex transactions.”