Digital Colony and EQT ‘to raise $3bn’ to help fund Zayo acquisition

14 February 2020 | Alan Burkitt-Gray

Digital Colony and EQT, the two private equity investors buying Zayo, will begin raising $3 billion in debt to help fund the purchase.

Unconfirmed reports say the US and Swedish buyers are offering $1 billion in secured debt and $2.08 billion in unsecured debt.

The two buyers agreed last year to buy Zayo for $14.3 billion, and the Federal Communications Commission, the US regulator, approved the deal last week. EQT said in January that it plans to raise €14.75 billion by creating a new fund.

Digital Colony, headed by Marc Ganzi, also said last October that it has raised $7.5 billion by selling off real estate interests.

The latest US reports say that the Zayo deal is likely to be closed in mid-April, following which the carrier will lose its listing on the New York Stock Exchange.