01-06-2023

ielo announces the acquisition of Quantic Telecom

ielo, the neutral and independent national Very High-Speed infrastructure operator dedicated to businesses, announces the acquisition of Quantic Telecom, the Normandy-based provider of dedicated fibre infrastructure.
Through this transaction, ielo strengthens its national footprint by bringing together the FTTO networks and expertise of both organisations.

The acquisition is part of ielo’s strong organic growth trajectory and broader development strategy, supported by the continued confidence of DIF Capital Partners, the European infrastructure investment fund that joined the company’s capital structure in July 2020.

The transaction further reinforces ielo’s presence in Normandy, leveraging Quantic Telecom’s historically self-deployed FTTO network across the region as well as the expertise of its teams.

Quantic Telecom is now joining the ielo journey with the shared ambition of continuing to develop a high-performance, neutral telecom infrastructure offering. As part of the integration, the Normandy-based operator will adopt ielo’s pure wholesale model and immediately cease the development of its direct digital services business, focusing exclusively on infrastructure services for operators alongside the ielo teams.

Together, the combined organisation aims to continue driving innovation in the French enterprise telecommunications market and support the digital transformation of businesses through connectivity solutions offering the highest levels of reliability and service assurance.

"Rooted in a shared culture, our two companies have always shared strong entrepreneurial and human values, as well as the creativity and agility needed to design, deploy, and guarantee premium connectivity services. We are delighted by this partnership which, beyond the human dimension that defines ielo, allows us to strengthen our presence in Normandy while continuing our mission of delivering high-quality infrastructure that is open to all operators."
Julien Ducros Co-Founder, ielo
"The coming together of ielo and Quantic Telecom is first and foremost a story about people, united by the enthusiasm of building a national infrastructure operator capable of genuinely addressing the needs of businesses. We are also confident that this transaction will create significant value for our partners and customers, who will now benefit from direct access to ielo's broad portfolio of high-quality infrastructure services."
Jesselin Lecocq Co-Founder and CEO, Quantic Telecom
"We are pleased to support ielo through this new stage of its development and to welcome such a talented and agile team into the group. By combining their strengths, ielo, while remaining committed to its model as a neutral and open infrastructure provider, gains valuable assets that will accelerate value creation across the enterprise telecommunications market."
Thomas Vieillescazes Partner and Head of France, DIF Capital Partners
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About ielo

ielo is a neutral and independent telecom infrastructure operator, specialising in Very High-Speed fibre-optic networks and providing high-quality solutions tailored to the needs of the enterprise market.

Founded in 2016 by French entrepreneurs, ielo completed a significant investment round in July 2020 to accelerate its national expansion strategy.

Today, the company is present in more than 3,000 municipalities across France, providing operator partners with a next-generation network purpose-built for the needs of their business customers. Fully managed end-to-end and designed for maximum availability, the infrastructure is entirely designed, deployed, and maintained in-house.

ielo currently employs 330 people, operates 12 Regional Technical Centres throughout France, and continues to welcome new talent as it expands.

 

About Quantic Telecom

Founded in 2011 by three passionate software engineers, Quantic Telecom is an independent telecom infrastructure operator serving businesses, public sector organisations, and higher education institutions, primarily through a network of regional and national partners.

The company has deployed its own FTTO network across Normandy, including Rouen, Le Havre, Évreux, Dieppe, and Fécamp, as well as in several major French cities such as Rennes, Lille, and Lyon.

A long-standing connectivity provider for university campuses and engineering schools, including INSA Lyon, INSA Rouen, and INSA Rennes, Quantic Telecom delivers Internet access services to more than 5,000 students.

 

About DIF

DIF Capital Partners is an independent infrastructure fund manager with approximately €16 billion in assets under management.

Founded in 2005, DIF has established a leading position in mid-market infrastructure investments across Europe, North America, and Australia.

The firm operates through two complementary investment strategies:

  • Traditional DIF funds, which invest in medium-sized, lower-risk infrastructure projects across the energy transition sector (including renewable energy), utilities, public-private partnerships (PPPs), and concessions.
  • CIF funds, which focus on medium-sized companies operating in digital infrastructure, energy transition, and sustainable transportation.

With a team of more than 225 professionals across 11 countries, DIF Capital Partners combines a global investment platform with strong local market expertise.

The company maintains offices in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, Helsinki, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, New York, Paris, Santiago, Sydney, and Toronto.