Less Ads, More Data, More Tools Register for FREE

Pin to quick picksBigblu Broadb. Regulatory News (BBB)

  • There is currently no data for BBB

Non-core Australian fibre disposal

11 Jun 2018 07:00

RNS Number : 8697Q
Bigblu Broadband PLC
11 June 2018
 

Bigblu Broadband plc

("BBB" or the "Company" or the "Group")

 

 Non-core Australian fibre disposal

 

Bigblu Broadband plc (AIM: BBB), a leading provider of alternative fast broadband services, announces that it has sold the fibre broadband customer base, along with relevant infrastructure, of its Australian subsidiary SkyMesh Pty Ltd to Australian provider of connectivity services Superloop Ltd (ASX: SLC) ("Superloop") for AUD $1.5m in cash.

 

The disposal relates to around 11,000 fibre customers serviced under the NBNCo broadband access network. Customers on SkyMesh's satellite and fixed wireless broadband services will be unaffected by the transaction.

 

BBB inherited the fibre customer base when it acquired SkyMesh's satellite and fixed wireless operations in 2016. As expected, due to the competitive nature of this sector, these fibre customers contributed minimal EBITDA to the Group with a profit margin contribution significantly below BBB's average. Given the lack of synergies with the rest of its products, the Company does not view these fibre customers as core to its growth strategy and, as such, believes they will be better served by Superloop.

 

The proceeds from the disposal will be used to fund exceptional and reorganisation costs within Australia as the business is optimised to generate higher returns. In addition, the proceeds will be used to reduce the Company's senior debt with HSBC or fund future accretive bolt-on acquisitions with customer bases focused on core satellite or fixed wireless.

 

Andrew Walwyn, CEO of Bigblu commented:

"Bigblu's focus is on serving customers outside the fibre footprint via a variety of alternative broadband offerings including satellite, fixed wireless, 4G and 5G and we feel that that the structure of the fibre broadband market under the NBNCo scheme does not suit our focused alternative broadband business model.

 

"Bigblu is clearly focused on its core markets of delivering a high quality alternative broadband service to the last 5% to 10% of customers in each territory that aren't serviced by fibre.

 

"We're very grateful to these fibre customers for their support whilst they've been part of the Bigblu family and we're confident they will be very well looked after in the future by Superloop who are real specialists in delivering fibre services."

 

Bevan Slattery CEO of Superloop commented:

 

"We are excited with this transaction and looking forward to migrating these clients onto the Superloop network later this year to deliver an exceptional user experience. Importantly we also look forward to continuing our long working relationship with Bigblu Broadband and Skymesh."

 

 

Contacts:

Bigblu Broadband Plc

www.bbb-plc.com

Andrew Walwyn, Chief Executive Officer

Via Walbrook PR

Numis Securities (Nomad and broker)

Tel: +44 (0)20 7260 1000

Oliver Hardy (Corporate Advisory)

James Black / Jonathan Abbott (Corporate Broking)

Walbrook PR (PR advisers)

Tel: +44 (0)20 7933 8780

Paul Cornelius / Nick Rome

or bigblubroadband@walbrookpr.com

 

 

About BBB

BigBlu Broadband plc (AIM: BBB), formerly Satellite Solutions Worldwide Group PLC (AIM: SAT), is a leading provider of alternative broadband solutions throughout Europe and Australia. BBB delivers a portfolio of super-fast wireless broadband products for consumers and businesses unserved or underserved by fibre.

 

The Company has a significant target market with 27m customers in Europe with speeds of under 4 Mb, and a further 1m in Australia who have been identified as only suitable for either satellite or fixed wireless broadband.

 

Acquisitive and organic growth have enabled BBB to grow rapidly since inception in 2008 during which time the Company has completed 20 acquisitions across nine different countries. It is extremely well positioned to continue growing as it targets customers that are trapped in the 'digital divide' with limited fibre broadband options.

 

BBB's range of solutions includes satellite, next generation fixed wireless and 4G/5G delivering between 30 Mbps and 150 Mbps for consumers, and up to 1 Gbps for businesses. It provides customers ongoing services including hardware, pre and post-sale support, installation, billing and warranties whilst offering various tariffs depending on end user requirements.

 

Importantly, as its core technologies evolve, and cheaper capacity is made available, BBB continues to offer ever-increasing speeds and higher data throughputs to satisfy market demands for 'video-on- demand'. Its alternative broadband offerings present a customer experience that is similar to that offered by wired broadband and the connection can be shared in the normal way with PCs, tablets and smart-phones via a normal wired or wireless router.

 

High levels of recurring revenue, increasing economies of scale and Government stimulation of the alternative broadband market in many countries provide a solid foundation for the Company as it targets further organic growth to 150,000 customers by 2020 as demand for alternative super-fast broadband services increases around the world.

 

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
 
END
 
 
DISLIFSERVILLIT
Date   Source Headline
18th Dec 20257:00 amRNSCancellation - Bigblu Broadband plc
15th Dec 20256:00 pmRNSBigblu Broadband
8th Dec 202511:48 amRNSResult of General Meeting
5th Dec 202512:53 pmRNSTR1 Notification
5th Dec 202512:51 pmRNSTR1 Notification
5th Dec 202510:37 amRNSTR1 Notification
3rd Dec 20251:30 pmRNSTR1 Notification
2nd Dec 202512:46 pmRNSTR1 Notification
2nd Dec 202512:34 pmRNSTR1 Notification
26th Nov 202512:42 pmRNSTR1 Notification
24th Nov 20253:58 pmRNSTR 1 Notification
19th Nov 20259:17 amRNSNotice of GM
19th Nov 20259:12 amRNSUpdate on Disposal
29th Aug 20257:00 amRNSHalf-year Report
30th Jun 20251:47 pmRNSResult of AGM
11th Jun 20254:00 pmRNSChange of Registered Address
6th Jun 20254:05 pmRNSNotice of AGM
2nd Jun 20257:00 amRNSAnnual Financial Report - Full Report
2nd Jun 20257:00 amRNSAnnual Financial Report
9th May 20257:00 amRNSDirector/PDMR Shareholding
8th May 202510:49 amRNSDirector/PDMR Shareholding
2nd May 202512:49 pmRNSTR-1: Notification of major holdings
2nd May 202512:35 pmRNSDirector/PDMR Shareholding
23rd Apr 20253:30 pmRNSResult of Tender Offer
19th Mar 20252:30 pmRNSResult of General Meeting
13th Mar 20257:00 amRNSChange of Date for Court Meeting & General Meeting
3rd Mar 20257:00 amRNSProposed return of up to £6.1m to shareholders
23rd Dec 20247:00 amRNSCompletion of Disposal of SkyMesh Pty Ltd
20th Dec 20249:35 amRNSResult of General Meeting
3rd Dec 20244:05 pmRNSNotice of GM
2nd Dec 20247:28 amRNSProposed Sale of SkyMesh Pty Ltd
5th Nov 20248:00 amRNSMarket Update
20th Sep 202411:08 amRNSDirector/PDMR Shareholding
18th Sep 20241:35 pmRNSIssue of Equity
30th Aug 20247:00 amRNSHalf-year Report
21st Jun 20244:42 pmRNSResult of AGM
28th May 20244:28 pmRNSDirector/PDMR Shareholding
28th May 20249:00 amRNSNotice of AGM
20th May 20247:05 amRNSDisposal of Norwegian Operations/Related Party
20th May 20247:00 amRNSAnnual Financial Report
19th Feb 20244:22 pmRNSDirector/PDMR Shareholding
14th Feb 20247:00 amRNSDirector/PDMR Shareholding
16th Jan 20245:10 pmRNSDirector/PDMR Shareholding
9th Jan 20242:30 pmRNSDirector/PDMR Shareholding
4th Jan 20247:00 amRNSDirector/PDMR Shareholding
28th Dec 20233:00 pmRNSDirector/PDMR Shareholding
29th Aug 20237:00 amRNSHalf-year Report
9th Jun 20237:00 amRNSIssue of Equity
5th Jun 20237:00 amRNSTrading Update for six month period to 31 May 2023
24th May 20231:50 pmRNSResult of AGM

Due to London Stock Exchange licensing terms, we stipulate that you must be a private investor. We apologise for the inconvenience.

To access our Live RNS you must confirm you are a private investor by using the button below.