Highlights

  • Digital 9 Infrastructure completed the Aqua Comms divestment for a net GBP 34.0 million.
  • Final consideration exceeded the June 2025 valuation following updated accounts and FX rates.
  • Board outlined a pro-rata compulsory capital redemption, subject to working capital requirements.

Digital 9 Infrastructure plc (LSE:DGI9) announced the completion of the sale of its Atlantic and Irish Sea subsea fibre business, Aqua Comms. The transaction closed after all conditions under the sale and purchase agreement were satisfied, resulting in a final net consideration of GBP 34.0 million. The amount was calculated using a USD/GBP exchange rate of 1.3527 traded on 30 December 2025.

The completion formally concludes the Company’s divestment of Aqua Comms, which had been classified as a non-core asset under its previously communicated realisation plan.

Consideration Compared With Prior Valuation
The final net proceeds were GBP 1.6 million higher than the GBP 32.4 million valuation of Aqua Comms disclosed in Digital 9 Infrastructure’s interim report for the period ended 30 June 2025. According to the Company, the earlier valuation had incorporated revisions to the completion account mechanism as well as changes in the USD/GBP foreign exchange rate prevailing at that time.

The difference between the interim valuation and the final consideration reflects these previously disclosed factors rather than any change in the scope of the transaction.

Proposed Return of Capital
Following completion, the Board stated its intention to return a portion of the proceeds to shareholders. The proposed method is a pro-rata compulsory capital redemption, which the Company expects to be an efficient and cost-effective mechanism for distributing funds.

Approximately one-third of the proceeds is expected to be retained to cover anticipated future working capital requirements. The Company indicated that this balance is intended to support ongoing operational costs through to the eventual wind down of the business.

Working Capital and Realisation Plan
Future working capital needs include operational commitments while the Company continues with anticipated sale processes for its remaining assets, Elio Networks and Arqiva. These processes are expected to take place over the coming years in line with Digital 9 Infrastructure’s previously outlined realisation plan.

The Company stated that maintaining adequate liquidity will allow it to manage timing around asset exits and address any unforeseen operational expenses. Digital 9 Infrastructure also noted that it will continue to review its working capital position and may accelerate further realisations or capital redemptions when appropriate.

Next Steps
Further details regarding the proposed capital redemption scheme are expected to be provided in due course. The Company confirmed that, following publication of the announcement, the information is now considered to be in the public domain under the UK Market Abuse Regulation.

Share Price Snapshot
DGI9 was trading at GBX 5.99 per share as of 31 December 2025