Cellnex Completes €391 Million Sale of French Data Center Unit to Vauban Infra Fibre

Cellnex Completes €391 Million Sale of French Data Center Unit to Vauban Infra Fibre January 26, 2026 In a strategic move to sharpen its focus on core telecom infrastructure, European telecom tower giant Cellnex has finalized the sale of its French data center business to Vauban Infra Fibre (VIF). The transaction, valued at €391 million ($463 million), marks another significant step in Cellnex's ongoing portfolio rationalization and highlights the continued consolidation and investor interest in the European digital infrastructure sector. The deal, first announced in October 2025, involved the sale of 99.99% of Towerlink France, the entity responsible for Cellnex's primary data center operations in the country, to VIF subsidiary IFSP6 Trinity. The all-cash transaction was completed on January 26, 2026. Towerlink France, founded in 2018, owns, operates, and develops urban edge data centers across multiple sites in France. For Cellnex, which manages a portfolio of over 110,000 sites across ten European countries, the divestiture is a key part of its strategic roadmap. "The completion of this transaction represents a step forward in the Company’s strategic roadmap, which allows the group to continue to focus on its core areas of activity," the company stated. CEO Marco Patuano elaborated, saying, "By focusing our resources on our core business – neutral-host telecom infrastructure – we are better positioned to drive sustainable growth, support the digital transformation of our customers, and deliver long-term value to our shareholders." He noted the proceeds would reinforce the company's balance sheet for further network expansion and modernization across Europe. This sale is the latest in a series of divestments by Cellnex, which has been streamlining its asset portfolio. Recent transactions include the €971 million sale of its Irish unit to Phoenix Tower International in 2025, the €803 million sale of its Austrian tower business in December 2024, and the sale of a 49% stake in its Swedish and Danish units to Stonepeak for €730 million. The acquisition significantly bolsters Vauban Infra Fibre's position in the French digital infrastructure market. VIF, backed by funds from Vauban Infrastructure Partners, Crédit Agricole Assurances, and Raffles (a subsidiary of GIC), already manages more than 13 million fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connectable lines across 25 assets in France. Vauban Infrastructure Partners, an asset manager with approximately €10 billion in raised funds, has prior data center investments, including Icelandic operator Borealis. The deal underscores the growing convergence between fiber network operators and edge data center assets, as investors seek integrated digital infrastructure platforms. Source: datacenterdynamics