Cellnex Telecom has announced plans to sell its French Edge data center business, Towerlink, to Vauban Infra Fibre (VIF) for €391 million. The deal marks a strategic exit from France for Cellnex as it shifts focus back to core telecom infrastructure assets.
In a press release, Cellnex said, “Cellnex, through its wholly owned subsidiary Cellnex France, S.A.S., has entered into a put option agreement with Vauban Infra Fibre (VIF) by virtue of which Cellnex France S.A.S can sell 99.99% of the share capital of Towerlink France, S.A.S., the entity responsible for the Group’s main data center operations in France.”
For Vauban Infra Fibre, the acquisition enhances its urban data center network and strengthens its commercial relationship with their key client Bouygues Telecom.
Steve Ledoux, CEO of VIF (Vauban Infra Fibre) said, “Towerlink will thrive within VIF by continuing to deliver our common ambition and accelerate our development in the data center market and by implementing attractive synergies with other French data centres and digital assets of the portfolio.”
Towerlink operates approximately 80 active Edge data centers, with additional sites under development in key metropolitan areas, including Paris, Lyon, and Marseille. These facilities, which formed part of Cellnex’s NexLoop initiative, support urban connectivity and low-latency digital services. Cellnex’s European strategy is to prioritize its core mobile tower business and reduce leverage in Spain, Italy, and the Netherland markets as Cellnex continues to operate 110,000 sites across ten countries.
The transaction comes amid a period of rapid growth and strategic realignment in the French data center market. According to a market report from Mordor Intelligence, France’s appeal for digital infrastructure is driven by nuclear-powered, low-carbon energy grid and increased hyperscale investments, which exceeded €5.2 billion in 2024. The nation’s IT load capacity is projected to nearly double from 2,070 MW in 2025 to 4,550 MW by 2030.
Edge data centers remain key drivers in this national expansion. These facilities are essential for meeting the growing demand for fiber and 5G rollouts, with AI-driven facility upgrades reshaping regional deployments, particularly outside the traditional Paris hub.
This recent sale reflects a wider trend of consolidation across Europe’s telecom and data center sectors, where operators like Cellnex streamline their holdings to focus on high-performing assets, while specialized infrastructure investors like Vauban expand their urban digital portfolios to meet soaring demand for modern edge services.