- Accelerates TOFANE consolidation strategy and boosts size of iBASIS, its operating company, with an additional 141 million euros in revenue (in 2019)
- Becomes long-term partner for international voice and mobile services
- Validates expertise in fast paced integration and attractiveness of carving-out model
- Reinforces the share of Mobile services to represent a third of its total activity
Paris, April 2, 2020 – Tofane Global (TOFANE), the leading communications solutions group enabling operators and digital players worldwide, announces today the acquisition of NOS International Carrier Services, a subsidiary of NOS, a leading communications and entertainment group in Portugal. The transaction continues TOFANE’s M&A and consolidation strategy, following the September 2018 acquisition of Altice Europe N.V. international mobile and voice carrier business in France, Portugal, and the Dominican Republic, and the February 2019 acquisition of iBASIS from Royal KPN N.V.
In 2019, NOS International Carrier Services recorded revenue of 141 million euros. The company will be consolidated under the iBASIS brand, boosting its size, reach, and innovation. iBASIS will be the preferred partner for all NOS international voice, SMS, IPX services, and mobile data.
The deal strengthens iBASIS’ footprint in Portuguese-speaking markets, including Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, East Timor, Macau, Sao Tome, and Principe. iBASIS will service NOS’ 80 wholesale customers, adding over 2 billion minutes annually to its international voice traffic. The transaction also reflects TOFANE’s strong development on mobile services by taking over NOS’ international SMS services.
“Within twelve months, we completed the acquisitions and integration of two leaders, Altice Europe N.V. international voice carrier business and iBASIS, to become the Top 3 and first independent global carrier. This latest transaction confirms the attractiveness of our business model and expertise in reliable migrations enabling the operators to focus quickly on their core operations,” comments Alexandre Pébereau, Group CEO and founder of TOFANE. “After the closing, as we already strongly grow in mobile services, they will represent a third of our total activity.“
“For NOS, this transaction is a path for growth. We were seeking the right way to capitalize on our core business while optimizing our wholesale services. TOFANE provides us with the solution we needed for more efficient and economical voice and mobile international operations. It enables us to extract the highest value from Tier 1 access, economy of scale, while maintaining independence vis-a-vis larger players. It also allows us to partner with iBASIS on new services and innovation, starting with our SMS solutions,” adds Manuel Ramalho Eanes, NOS Executive Board Member.
iBASIS’ carving-out solutions enable operators and digital players worldwide to better manage the complexities of the international voice business by delivering competitive and predictable pricing, future proofing network upgrades, and mitigating cost, profitability, and quality risks, while providing faster time to market for new international services.
The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.
Founded in 2017 by Alexandre Pébereau, former Orange Carriers CEO and founder of the ITW Carriers’ Council, TOFANE is backed by financial partners including Ciclad and Trocadero Capital Partners, and Société Générale as its primary bank.
ABOUT TOFANE GLOBAL
Tofane Global (TOFANE) is the leading communications solutions group enabling operators and digital players worldwide with its consolidation and innovation model, so customers can achieve their core strategies, performance, and transformation. As the result of the acquisitions of Altice Europe N.V. and iBASIS, TOFANE represents USD 1+ billion in revenues, serving 1,000+ customers worldwide across its presence in 18 countries. TOFANE is addressing the USD 40+ billion international voice, data, and mobile carrier market, by delivering coverage, scale, and solutions to help customers perform and transform in the digital era. For more information, please visit www.tofaneglobal.com.
ABOUT NOS
NOS is a leading communications and entertainment group in Portugal. It offers latest generation fixed and mobile phone, television, Internet, voice, and data solutions for all market segments. It is a leader in Pay TV, new generation broadband services, and in cinema distribution. In the business segment, it has positioned itself as a sustainable alternative in the Corporate and Mass Business segments, offering a broad portfolio of products and services with tailor made solutions for each sector and for businesses of different sizes, complementing its offer with ICT and Cloud services.
