Key takeaways
- EXA Infrastructure has completed its acquisition of Aqua Comms, announced in London on 31 December 2025
- Aqua Comms owns and operates AEC-1, AEC-2, CC-1 and CC-2 and is part of the consortium behind the Amitié cable system (AEC-3)
- EXA Infrastructure already operates over 160,000km of digital infrastructure across 37 countries, with seven Transatlantic routes and 22 cable landing stations
- The combined network brings greater route diversity and more critical links between the U.S., Ireland, and mainland Europe
- Akur Capital and RBC Capital Markets advised EXA Infrastructure; Goldman Sachs advised D9, with Shoosmiths as legal advisor
Acquisition of Aqua Comms completed
London, 31 December 2025 - EXA Infrastructure today announced the completion of its acquisition of Aqua Comms, strengthening its Transatlantic and intra-European connectivity network.
EXA Infrastructure, a London-based portfolio company of I Squared Capital - a leading independent global infrastructure investor - already operates over 160,000km of digital infrastructure across 37 countries, including seven Transatlantic routes and 22 cable landing stations across North America and Europe.
What Aqua Comms brings
Aqua Comms is an Ireland-based service provider specialising in operating submarine cable systems and supplying fibre pairs, spectrum and wholesale network capacity to the global content, cloud, carrier & enterprise markets. It is the owner/operator of America Europe Connect-1 (AEC-1), America Europe Connect-2 (AEC-2), CeltixConnect-1 (CC-1) and CeltixConnect-2 (CC-2) and is part of a consortium that owns/operates the Amitié cable system (AEC-3).
Aqua Comms cable systems
- America Europe Connect-1 (AEC-1)
- America Europe Connect-2 (AEC-2)
- CeltixConnect-1 (CC-1)
- CeltixConnect-2 (CC-2)
- Amitié cable system (AEC-3), through a consortium
The addition of Aqua Comms’ network brings greater route diversity and more critical links between the U.S., Ireland, and mainland Europe. Its deep operational expertise alongside a materially expanded infrastructure footprint means EXA Infrastructure is equipped to fully serve the AI, Cloud, and Content demands of customers.
Comment from Jim Fagan
Jim Fagan, Chief Executive Officer at EXA Infrastructure, said: “With the acquisition now complete, EXA Infrastructure has significantly enhanced our Transatlantic and European connectivity offerings. Customers will benefit from unrivalled route diversity enhanced resiliency across a unified, meshed subsea and terrestrial network."
Financial and legal advisors
Akur Capital and RBC Capital Markets acted as financial advisors to EXA Infrastructure, with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison serving as legal M&A advisor. Goldman Sachs advised D9, with Shoosmiths as legal advisor.
About EXA Infrastructure
EXA Infrastructure is an award-winning portfolio company of I Squared Capital and one of the largest dedicated digital infrastructure platforms throughout Europe, connecting North America and Asia via the Middle East. With over 20 years of experience in building resilient networks, EXA Infrastructure provides the critical modern infrastructure and unrivalled engineering expertise that serves as the backbone for digital and economic growth. This includes mission-critical networks for governments and enterprises, hyperscale infrastructure for the world’s most innovative and influential businesses, and ultra-low latency, high bandwidth networks for financial, gaming and broadcast services.
