Deal: Axiata and edotco have been advised on the acquisition of two mobile towers businesses.

Value: US$1.03 billion

Area: M&A

Key players: Australian-qualified lawyer, Mark Robinson, Herbert Smith Freehill’s head of tech, media and telecoms (TMT) - Asia - led the legal team on this transaction.

Mr Robinson was assisted by M&A senior associate Sheena Loi in Hong Kong and TMT M&A associate Mia Harrison-Kelf, and Prolegis associate Sze Min Lim in Singapore, as well as on tax issues by consultant Susan Leung in Hong Kong.

Deal significance: edotco Group Sdn Bhd is the infrastructure arm of Axiata.

The Group’s latest transaction sees it acquire two mobile towers businesses: Tanzanite, from Tower Share, as well as Deodar, from Jazz.

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The former is a Dubai-headquartered mobile towers operator, while the latter is a subsidiary of Dutch company Veon and Egypt’s Global Telecom Holding S.A.E (GTH).

According to a statement from Herbert Smith Freehills, upon completion of the Deodar transaction, Deodar will enter into a 12-year master services agreement with Jazz, under which it will continue to provide tower services to Jazz.

Completion of the Deodar transaction is expected to occur before the end of 2017.

“The acquisition of approximately 13,000 towers from Jazz will make edotco the largest independent telecommunications towers operator in Southeast Asia, a transaction that boosts Axiata and edotco’s growth strategies,” said Mr Robinson.

“We are honoured to have been able to assist the companies on yet another transaction.”