Metroweb

Metroweb S.p.A., formerly Citytel S.r.l. and also known as Metroweb Milano, was an Italian telecommunications-infrastructure operator based in Milan. Its business centered on the construction, ownership, management, and wholesale leasing of fiber-optic networks rather than on selling consumer broadband services directly under a mass-market retail brand. The company became especially significant in Milan, where its metropolitan fiber infrastructure supported fixed ultra-broadband services and provided dark-fiber capacity to telecommunications operators, businesses, and other organizations. The company originated in 1997, when AEM established Citytel to build and manage broadband telecommunications networks. In 1999, e.Biscom, the company that later became associated with Fastweb, acquired a minority stake. AEM later reacquired that interest, and in 2003 Citytel adopted the Metroweb name. The business subsequently passed through several ownership changes involving infrastructure investors and financial institutions. In 2006, Stirling Square Capital Partners and members of management acquired a majority interest from AEM. In 2011, ownership moved to F2i and IMI Investimenti, an Intesa Sanpaolo investment vehicle, in a transaction that reflected the growing investment value of independent fiber infrastructure in Italy. Metroweb's network was important because it enabled a wholesale, open-access model. Fastweb used the infrastructure for fiber-to-the-home services, while the network was later made available to additional operators, including Vodafone and Wind. The company's infrastructure included dark fiber and a GPON-based access model. One referenced Metrobit product was a single-mode, single-fiber connection, described as a monofiber service, capable of supporting full-duplex gigabit speeds. This made Metroweb an infrastructure platform for operators that needed access to dense urban fiber without having to duplicate the entire network themselves. From 2013, the company broadened the availability of fiber-to-the-home access over its infrastructure to more operators. This expansion placed Metroweb within the wider Italian effort to improve fixed broadband and fiber coverage. Its strategic importance increased as telecommunications companies, infrastructure funds, utilities, and public-sector investors considered ways to accelerate nationwide next-generation access networks. In 2016, Enel began negotiations with CDP Equity and F2i concerning the integration of Metroweb with Enel Open Fiber. Enel Open Fiber was structured as a joint venture between Enel and CDP Equity after a capital increase. On December 20, 2016, Enel Open Fiber acquired the entire capital of Metroweb. The company was subsequently merged by incorporation into Open Fiber; the merger was approved by the board in January 2017 and completed during the first quarter of 2017. Metroweb therefore ceased to operate as a separate corporate entity, while its Milan fiber assets and operating history became part of the Open Fiber infrastructure platform.

Metroweb began as Citytel S.r.l. on December 12, 1997. It was established by AEM, a Milan-based utility company, with the purpose of building and managing broadband telecommunications networks. The initial investment was 200 million Italian lire. The company was created during a period when metropolitan fiber infrastructure was increasingly viewed as a foundation for high-capacity internet and business communications. In 1999, e.Biscom acquired 33 percent of Citytel. e.Biscom later became associated with Fastweb, which developed a major use case for Metroweb's Milan network through fiber-to-the-home services. AEM subsequently bought back the stake in 2003. That same year, Citytel changed its name to Metroweb, establishing the identity under which it became known as a specialist fiber-infrastructure operator. A significant ownership transition occurred in 2006. Stirling Square Capital Partners and members of the company's management acquired 76.5 percent of Metroweb from AEM. The transaction placed the company under financial-investor and management ownership and reflected the perceived value of urban fiber networks as long-lived infrastructure assets. In 2011, Stirling Square Capital Partners and A2A sold their interests to F2i and IMI Investimenti, an Intesa Sanpaolo investment vehicle. The transaction transferred ownership to infrastructure-focused and financial investors. Metroweb's principal operating role was wholesale infrastructure. It deployed and managed fiber cabling in Milan, supported Fastweb's FTTH services, and leased dark fiber to telecommunications operators and companies. Its platform also used a GPON network through Metrobit's monofiber arrangement, based on a single-mode fiber capable of full-duplex gigabit communication. This model allowed multiple service providers to use infrastructure without each having to construct a fully separate metropolitan network. Beginning in 2013, Metroweb widened the operator base using its FTTH infrastructure. Vodafone and Wind were among the operators associated with this expansion. The development strengthened Metroweb's position as a neutral or shared infrastructure provider and connected its business to Italy's broader effort to extend next-generation fixed broadband. In June 2016, Enel entered negotiations with CDP Equity and F2i regarding a possible integration of Metroweb and Enel Open Fiber. Enel Open Fiber was developed around a 50/50 partnership between Enel and CDP Equity following a capital increase. Enel Open Fiber acquired all of Metroweb's capital on December 20, 2016. The board approved the merger by incorporation on January 13, 2017, and the process was completed in the first quarter of 2017. Metroweb consequently became part of Open Fiber rather than continuing as an independent legal and operating brand.

• 2017

  Metroweb was absorbed into Open Fiber

  [1]Metroweben.wikipedia.org

  The merger by incorporation was approved in January and completed during the first quarter, ending Metroweb as a separate company.

• 2016

  Enel Open Fiber acquired Metroweb

  [1]Metroweben.wikipedia.org

  Enel Open Fiber acquired the entire capital of Metroweb on December 20.

• 2013

  FTTH access expanded to more operators

  [1]Metroweben.wikipedia.org

  Metroweb extended use of its FTTH infrastructure to operators including Vodafone and Wind.

• 2011

  Ownership transferred to F2i and IMI Investimenti

  [1]Metroweben.wikipedia.org

  F2i and IMI Investimenti acquired the interests previously held by Stirling Square Capital Partners and A2A.

• 2006

  Stirling Square and management acquired a majority stake

  [1]Metroweben.wikipedia.org

  Stirling Square Capital Partners and company managers acquired 76.5 percent of Metroweb from AEM.

• 2003

  Citytel became Metroweb

  [1]Metroweben.wikipedia.org

  AEM reacquired e.Biscom's stake, and Citytel adopted the Metroweb name.

• 1999

  e.Biscom acquired a minority stake

  [1]Metroweben.wikipedia.org

  e.Biscom acquired 33 percent of Citytel, linking the company to the later Fastweb fiber-broadband ecosystem.

• 1997

  Citytel was established

  [1]Metroweben.wikipedia.org

  AEM founded Citytel on December 12 to build and manage broadband telecommunications networks.

Wholesale telecommunications-infrastructure provider focused on metropolitan fiber networks, open-access connectivity, and dark-fiber capacity for operators and organizations.

• Urban fiber infrastructure

  Milan metropolitan fiber network

  Metroweb's principal asset was a metropolitan fiber-optic network in Milan. It was built to support high-capacity telecommunications and broadband services in an urban environment, allowing operators and organizations to obtain fiber connectivity without duplicating the entire physical network. The network supported both retail-provider services and wholesale infrastructure arrangements.

• Wholesale connectivity

  Dark fiber

  The company made dark-fiber capacity available to telecommunications operators and businesses. Dark fiber consists of installed optical fiber that is leased without an active managed transmission service, allowing the customer or operator to supply its own electronics and configure capacity for networks, enterprise links, or other communications applications.

• GPON and FTTH access

  Metrobit monofiber access

  Metrobit's referenced monofiber model used one single-mode fiber in a GPON-based network. The configuration was described as supporting full-duplex gigabit speeds and provided an access method through which operators could use Metroweb's physical infrastructure for fiber-to-the-home broadband services.

• Fiber-to-the-home infrastructure · 2013

  Wholesale FTTH infrastructure

  Metroweb offered the underlying network needed for FTTH services rather than functioning primarily as a consumer internet-service brand. Fastweb used the infrastructure, and from 2013 the FTTH offer was extended to additional operators such as Vodafone and Wind.

• 2017

  Completed merger into Open FiberM&A

  Background

  After Enel Open Fiber acquired Metroweb, the companies proceeded with a formal merger by incorporation.

  Action taken

  The merger was approved by the board on January 13, 2017, and completed during the first quarter of the year.

  Aftermath

  Metroweb ceased to exist as a separate company, while its network and operating history became part of Open Fiber.

  Source

• 2016

  Accepted integration into Enel Open FiberM&A

  Background

  Metroweb was involved in negotiations concerning the combination of its urban fiber assets with Enel Open Fiber, within a broader effort to build a larger Italian fiber-infrastructure platform.

  Action taken

  Enel Open Fiber acquired the entire capital of Metroweb on December 20, 2016.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition was followed by a merger by incorporation into Open Fiber, completed in the first quarter of 2017.

  Source

1. 1Metroweben.wikipedia.org