DIF Capital Partners, on behalf of its DIF Core Infrastructure Fund III (DIF CIF II) fund, is investing to help roll out a fibre network in German.

The DIF fund has agreed to take a majority stake in Ruhrfibre, a company formed with project developer Metrofibre and the City of Essen.

DIF CIF III, a fund targeting mid-sized, core-plus infrastructure companies, will fund the buildout of a large-scale fibre network in Essen targeting around 150,000 households.

Ruhrfibre will develop, construct and operate an urban fibre-to-the-home network that is primarily focusing on connecting private households, as well as public and business customers to high-speed internet. Over the next few years, the company will roll out a network of approximately 1,000km of fibre in the city.

Willem Jansonius, partner and head of investments of CIF at DIF Capital Partners, said: “We firmly believe in the importance of an improved digital infrastructure in the beating heart of the Ruhr region and helping Essen to become a smart city.

“For us, it’s an investment that perfectly fits in our CIF fund strategy, which focuses on small to mid-market infrastructure investments, of which the digital infrastructure space is a priority sector.”

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