• Transformative acquisition furthers ETC’s international expansion
• Builds ETC’s position in DACH and the Nordics with complementary assets and expertise
• Adds leading brands and products as well as an enhanced logistics footprint

8 February 2023, Hanover, Germany & Eaubonne, France – ETC Group (“ETC”), one of the leading providers to the telecom network and technology infrastructure industry, announced today the acquisition of BTV Multimedia GmbH (“BTV”), a leading German provider to the broadband industry. The financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

Founded in 1993 by Cédric Varasteh, ETC Group is a provider of passive and active telecommunications equipment and tooling with leading technical and logistics solutions for network deployment, upgrades, and maintenance, supporting FTTH, FTTx, HFC, Wi-Fi, 5G/mobile, and data center technologies with over 30 years of extensive industry expertise. ETC Group has over 1,200 employees across more than 40 locations that span 14 countries including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Portugal, and supports 14,000+ customers worldwide including major American and European operators and telecommunications service providers. The Group’s comprehensive portfolio of 55,000+ products from close to 1,000 industry-leading suppliers, along with their value-added supply chain solutions, support carriers’ seamless delivery of high-speed Internet, Video, Data, and Voice services to residential, business, and mobile users.

Founded in 1986 as braun teleCom GmbH and headquartered in Hanover, Germany, BTV provides passive and active equipment for broadband network deployment, maintenance and upgrades and was acquired in 2018 by DBAG ECF III (advised by Deutsche Beteiligungs AG). With its significant reach, most notably in the German market, the acquisition of BTV complements ETC’s recent organic growth and supports its continued expansion in the DACH and Nordic regions, which have rapidly growing broadband markets and network upgrade requirements. This acquisition also allows ETC to leverage BTV’s more than 2,500 customer relationships and accompanying deep local market expertise.

In October 2022, international private equity firm, Cinven, acquired a majority stake in ETC Group from Carlyle, with Cédric Varasteh and Carlyle Europe Technology Partners (“CETP”) reinvesting for significant minority stakes alongside Cinven.

Cédric Varasteh, Founder and Chairman of ETC Group, said: “BTV has a compelling set of attributes which make it the perfect fit for ETC, including an impressive team with outstanding technical capabilities and expertise across both active and passive equipment, a significant platform across DACH as well as a presence in Denmark, a strong and extensive set of blue-chip customer relationships, and a suite of high quality products with cross-selling potential among ETC’s existing portfolio and customer base. We look forward to working with Joe and the entire team at BTV as we continue to execute on our ambitious growth plans.”

Joe Doering, CEO of BTV, added: “We are pleased to join ETC Group, one of the category leaders in the highly fragmented telecoms infrastructure and technology market. Combining our presence across the rapidly growing broadband markets in DACH and the Nordics offers an attractive strategic fit which we believe will position the group to deliver growth over the long term. We look forward to working with the ETC team on this exciting next step for our business.”

Thomas Railhac, Partner at Cinven commented: “Leveraging BTV’s significant expertise and assets will bolster ETC’s position as a leading provider of services to the telecom and technology infrastructure industry. We believe capturing the significant opportunity in this sector, driven by technological change and network resilience, will enable ETC to deliver long-term growth. BTV’s presence in key European markets for broadband growth and network maintenance gives ETC greater scale and the ability to offer even better support to its customers in accelerating their network upgrades and deployments. We look forward to working with Joe and the entire team at BTV.”

Cyril Bourdarot, Managing Director on the Carlyle Europe Technology Partners (“CETP”) advisory team, said: “Our newly formed partnership with Cinven is aimed at further accelerating ETC’s development. We believe this transformative acquisition will accelerate ETC’s plan to create a global, industry-leading multi-billion dollar provider to the telecom sector. We have every confidence that BTV will continue to prosper as part of the enlarged group, building on its presence in DACH and beyond.”

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the coming months.

ENDS

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About ETC Group

ETC Group is one of the global leaders in distribution, logistics, technical engineering, and product design with over 30 years of expertise and performance supporting the telecommunications and broadband industry. Founded in 1993 by Cédric Varasteh, ETC Group supplies and distributes a comprehensive range of passive and active equipment and tooling for network deployment, upgrades, and maintenance, supporting all technologies including FTTH, FTTx, HFC, Wi-Fi, 5G/mobile, and data center. ETC Group employs over 1,200 people across 14 countries, and serves 14,000+ customers globally, including the USA, the UK, France, Germany, and Poland. The Group’s experienced team works hard every day enabling technology and innovation to create a more connected future. To learn more, visit etc.group

About BTV Multimedia GmbH

Headquartered in Hanover, Germany, BTV Multimedia provides a comprehensive portfolio of passive and active equipment, as well as services for broadband network deployment, maintenance, and upgrades. Founded in 2018 as a merger of several established companies in the broadband market under the umbrella of Deutsche Beteiligungs AG (DBAG), the group now consists of nine individual companies. It supports network operators, installers, the housing industry, and wholesalers throughout Europe in fiber optic and HFC network rollout. With its significant DACH platform, most notably in Germany, the acquisition of BTV Multimedia complements ETC’s recent organic growth by expanding its presence in the region.

About Cinven

Cinven is a leading international private equity firm focused on building world-class global and European companies. Its funds invest in six key sectors: Business Services, Consumer, Financial Services, Healthcare, Industrials and Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT). Cinven has offices in London, New York, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Guernsey and Luxembourg.

Cinven takes a responsible approach towards its portfolio companies, their employees, suppliers, local communities, the environment and society.

Cinven Capital Management (V) General Partner Limited, Cinven Capital Management (VI) General Partner Limited, Cinven Capital Management (VII) General Partner Limited and Cinven Capital Management (SFF) General Partner Limited are each authorised and regulated by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission, and Cinven Limited, the advisor to the Cinven Funds, is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

In this press release ‘Cinven’ means, depending on the context, any of or collectively, Cinven Holdings Guernsey Limited, Cinven Partnership LLP, and their respective Associates (as defined in the Companies Act 2006) and/or funds managed or advised by any of the foregoing.

For additional information on Cinven please visit www.cinven.com and www.linkedin.com/company/cinven/.

About Carlyle

Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across three business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit and Global Investment Solutions. With $373 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2022, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and the communities in which we live and invest. Carlyle employs more than 2,100 people in 29 offices across five continents. Further information is available at www.carlyle.com. Follow Carlyle on Twitter @OneCarlyle.

Press Contacts

ETC Group:

Lindsay Hittner, Director of Marketing

lindsay.hittner@ustc-corp.com

+1 732-718-6283

Cinven:

Clare Bradshaw

clare.bradshaw@cinven.com

+44 (0)7881 918 967

FTI Consulting LLP (Advisers to Cinven):

Edward Bridges

Edward.Bridges@fticonsulting.com

+44 (0)7768 216 607

Stephanie Ellis

Stephanie.Ellis@fticonsulting.com

+44 (0)7890 543 056

Carlyle:

Nicholas Brown

nicholas.brown@carlyle.com

+44 7471 037 002