(IN BRIEF) CapMan Infra and Telia Company’s joint venture, Valokuitunen Oy, has emerged as the leading fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) provider in Finland, witnessing exponential growth from 20,000 to over 300,000 households within a few years. The company’s success is attributed to efficient construction practices, an open-access business model, and innovative sales strategies. CapMan Infra’s expertise in construction, coupled with Telia Company’s network infrastructure, has enabled Valokuitunen to offer high-speed fibre connections across Finland. The company’s focus on customer satisfaction, supported by a skilled sales team and diverse sales channels, has further solidified its market position. Looking ahead, Valokuitunen aims to continue its growth trajectory, driven by increased awareness of fibre benefits and ongoing collaboration with CapMan Infra and Telia Company.
(PRESS RELEASE) HELSINKI, 27-May-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — CapMan Infra and Telia Company are co-owners of Valokuitunen Oy, and have grown the company to be the market leading fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) provider in Finland.
Valokuitunen is the FTTH market leader in Finland. The company’s network coverage has grown from approximately 20,000 to more than 300,000 households over a few years, with the main growth seen in suburbs in the vicinity of larger cities such as Helsinki, Turku and Tampere. Valokuitunen is a joint venture between CapMan Infra, which owns 60%, and Telia Company that owns 40% of the business. It was established in April 2020 when CapMan Nordic Infrastructure I and Telia Company established the business from the then existing Telia Finland’s Avoin Kuitu business. The main factors to Valokuitunen’s success are the fast and secure fibre networks, open access business model, efficient construction costs and innovative approach to marketing and sales.
In order to be successful, it is necessary to be efficient in both construction and sales. One alone is not enough. As the CapMan Infra team had years of expertise from construction in the energy sector, they were able to bring the best practices from the energy sector to the telecommunication industry, enabling Valokuitunen to reduce construction unit costs with up to fifty percent.
“Valokuitunen was the first national pure FTTH company on the Finnish market with an attractive fibre-to-the-home offering for private households. Now the initial start-up phase of focusing on increasing network coverage is gradually shifting to focusing on acquiring more customers from the already existing areas of over 300,000 households,” says Sauli Antila, Investment Director at CapMan Infra.
Sauli Antila and Harri Halonen are responsible at CapMan Infra for the team that inspires and supports Valokuitunen’s management team, led by CEO Heikki Kaunisto. CapMan Infra is an active owner, and the team works on a daily basis supporting Valokuitunen’s growth and value creation. In the early days of Valokuitunen, Sauli Antila’s construction experience from the energy sector was instrumental in making the business work. Valokuitunen used the same approach as seen in the energy sector and secured larger and longer contracts with experienced contractors. This way Valokuitunen was able to achieve efficient construction costs with reliable partners that could support its further scale up.
Investing in Nordic infrastructure
CapMan Infra is part of the CapMan Group and is in its seventh year of existence with offices in Helsinki and Stockholm with thirteen local infrastructure experts. CapMan Infra makes investments in energy, transport and digital infrastructure across the Nordics and northern Europe. The investment in Valokuitunen began with an analysis of macro trends and the fibre markets in the Nordic countries.
“Finland stood out, as it was a mobile-data driven country, with a well-developed mobile network and often unlimited data packages, which meant it was behind its Nordic counter-parts with fibre deployment,” says Harri Halonen, Partner at CapMan Infra.
The development potential in the FTTH sector led CapMan Infra to have several discussions around the concept of building a fibre business in Finland. Following discussions with Telia, the two companies started a collaboration focusing on rolling out fibre across the country. The collaboration means that Valokuitunen can utilize Telia Finland’s nationwide backbone network and focus on building the local last-mile fibre networks with an open access business model. Valokuitunen is an infrastructure company, where each new area and investment needs to be profitable from the start without any speculative growth. Valokuitunen solely focuses on the passive fibre layer, rather than acting as a telecommunications operator or a content provider, where the risk profiles are different from the provision of passive infrastructure.
Open access results in pleased customers
”Open access (OA) is a unique selling point for Valokuitunen as well as an important part of our success. In 2020 we were the only company offering an OA network for multiple internet service providers with different content services. OA gives more freedom to end consumers, to choose among different service providers, increasing customer satisfaction and thus loyalty. Despite Finland being a late adaptor with fibre compared to the rest of Northern Europe, we have seen a drastic improvement in recent years. The Covid-19 pandemic was a wake-up call for the market and accelerated the development of FTTH. As Finns adapted to working from home during the pandemic, it became evident very early that they needed fast and reliable networks. And only fibre can provide that. Remote and hybrid working is here to stay, and people need to have reliable and high-quality means of communication,” says Heikki Kaunisto, CEO of Valokuitunen.
One of Finland’s most efficient sales organisations
Heikki Kaunisto was the CFO of Valokuitunen when CapMan Infra and Telia Company joined forces in April 2020 and Kaunisto was appointed CEO of Valokuitunen in May 2021. The early days of Valokuitunen were challenging when Finland, like many other countries globally, grinded to a halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. Door-to-door sales, which had been the main sales model until then, stopped completely. The company’s management and CapMan Infra’s team had to rethink and create different and new sales channels from scratch. As a result, Valokuitunen now boasts one of the most efficient sales organisations in Finland. Heikki Kaunisto and his team has grown from six people in the spring of 2020 to around 130 today. The team has worked on innovative approaches to marketing, branding and sales since the very beginning, including TV and newspaper ads, telemarketing, online sales and door-to-door sales. This has resulted in high brand awareness; in areas served by Valokuitunen, brand awareness is sixty percent.
“I am very pleased with our sales effort, which is largely thanks to our skilled and driven sales team. Our people are our greatest asset. To sell well, one needs to be passionate and believe in the product. We all have that drive here at Valokuitunen. We have worked hard to develop an efficient sales system that provides both an overview as well as immediate feedback from the seven different sales channels. Being agile allows us to prioritise resources to maximise the highest return,” says Heikki Kaunisto, CEO of Valokuitunen.
Future demand crucial
An important task for Heikki Kaunisto as the CEO for Valokuitunen is to work with raising the profile and awareness of fibre. As fibre is still growing in Finland, informing people about the functionality and benefits of fibre compared to copper cables and mobile networks remains important. In the coming years, he will work with the wider team to strengthen the position of Valokuitunen as a market leader in Finland and continue to generate growth. With increased competition, there will be new challenges, so it is important to look ahead to understand what the consumer needs and demands look like in the future and how the business can be developed and evolve for the customers.
Value-creation through co-operation
Valokuitunen has grown rapidly since it was established by CapMan Infra. Being an active owner has been of great importance for the company’s rapid development, growth and value creation.
”We have a rewarding collaboration with the team at CapMan Infra. The team is experienced and knowledgeable and have assisted us to ensure we achieve the success we have so far on our journey. Their expertise in several different areas, including finance, production, growth, value creation and sustainability, provides invaluable support for me as a CEO. The CapMan Infra team is as competitive as I am, and the persons there are also my sparring partner. The team has ambitious goals and in order for us to achieve said goals, we continue to evolve as well as continue improving our processes. The CapMan Infra team provides me with ongoing support and someone to talk to about the business. This is valuable for a CEO in a growth company of this kind,” says Heikki Kaunisto, CEO at Valokuitunen.
The ownership of CapMan Infra and Telia Company provides financial stability, allowing Heikki Kaunisto and his team to focus on creating growth and profitability in Valokuitunen, rather than raising capital. CapMan Infra will develop the company in both short and long term, which positions Valokuitunen to continue to do well even after a potential future exit by CapMan Infra.
Harri Halonen, Partner at CapMan Infra, agrees that the long-term perspective is important when it comes to infrastructure investments, where solutions are often implemented to last for decades. At the same time, co-operation with CapMan Infra is intense from day one:
“As active owners, we work closely with our management teams, and contribute more actively in certain areas like financing. The CEO is responsible for running the company, but we are always there to support and at times challenge the management team. We have contact with our portfolio companies almost on a daily basis. Valokuitunen’s focus continues to be to deliver profitable growth in the Finnish market. To achieve this, CapMan Infra and Valokuitunen secured a €400 million refinancing in June 2023, of which €285 million was committed at closing. The funding provides Valokuitunen the platform to deliver on the next phase of growth, which is largely built on already sold contracts,” says Harri Halonen.
CapMan & Valokuitunen
CapMan Infra invests in energy, transportation and telecommunications infrastructure across the Nordics. The team is based in Helsinki and Stockholm. CapMan Infra is a dedicated and an active owner that supports the growth and operational improvements of companies, and with strong focus on sustainability. Valokuitunen Oy is a joint venture between CapMan Infra and Telia Company focused on rolling out fibre networks in Finland. It provides reliable and sustainable fibre connections across Finland. The investment was done by CapMan Nordic Infrastructure I fund.
Media Contact:
Harri Halonen
PARTNER
EMAIL: harri.halonen@capman.com
COUNTRY: Sweden
PHONE: +46 768 710 062
SOURCE: CapMan
MORE ON CAPMAN, ETC.:
- Astor Asset Management 3 Ltd: Salinas Pliego Incumple Préstamo de $110 Millones USD y Viola Regulaciones Mexicanas
- Astor Asset Management 3 Ltd: Salinas Pliego Verstößt gegen Darlehensvertrag über 110 Mio. USD und Mexikanische Wertpapiergesetze
- ChargeEuropa zamyka rundę finansowania, której przewodził fundusz Shift4Good tym samym dokonując historycznej francuskiej inwestycji w polski sektor elektromobilności
- Strengthening EU Protections: Robert Szustkowski calls for safeguarding EU citizens’ rights to dignity
- Digi Communications NV announces the release of H1 2024 Financial Results
- Digi Communications N.V. announces that conditional stock options were granted to a director of the Company’s Romanian Subsidiary
- Digi Communications N.V. announces Investors Call for the presentation of the H1 2024 Financial Results
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the conclusion of a share purchase agreement by its subsidiary in Portugal
- Digi Communications N.V. Announces Rating Assigned by Fitch Ratings to Digi Communications N.V.
- Digi Communications N.V. announces significant agreements concluded by the Company’s subsidiaries in Spain
- SGW Global Appoints Telcomdis as the Official European Distributor for Motorola Nursery and Motorola Sound Products
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the availability of the instruction regarding the payment of share dividend for the 2023 financial year
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the exercise of conditional share options by the executive directors of the Company, for the year 2023, as approved by the Company’s Ordinary General Shareholders’ Meetings from 18th May 2021 and 28th December 2022
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the granting of conditional stock options to Executive Directors of the Company based on the general shareholders’ meeting approval from 25 June 2024
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the OGMS resolutions and the availability of the approved 2023 Annual Report
- Czech Composer Tatiana Mikova Presents Her String Quartet ‘In Modo Lidico’ at Carnegie Hall
- SWIFTT: A Copernicus-based forest management tool to map, mitigate, and prevent the main threats to EU forests
- WickedBet Unveils Exciting Euro 2024 Promotion with Boosted Odds
- Museum of Unrest: a new space for activism, art and design
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the conclusion of a Senior Facility Agreement by companies within Digi Group
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the agreements concluded by Digi Romania (formerly named RCS & RDS S.A.), the Romanian subsidiary of the Company
- Green Light for Henri Hotel, Restaurants and Shops in the “Alter Fischereihafen” (Old Fishing Port) in Cuxhaven, opening Summer 2026
- Digi Communications N.V. reports consolidated revenues and other income of EUR 447 million, adjusted EBITDA (excluding IFRS 16) of EUR 140 million for Q1 2024
- Digi Communications announces the conclusion of Facilities Agreements by companies from Digi Group
- Digi Communications N.V. Announces the convocation of the Company’s general shareholders meeting for 25 June 2024 for the approval of, among others, the 2023 Annual Report
- Digi Communications NV announces Investors Call for the presentation of the Q1 2024 Financial Results
- Digi Communications intends to propose to shareholders the distribution of dividends for the fiscal year 2023 at the upcoming General Meeting of Shareholders, which shall take place in June 2024
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the availability of the Romanian version of the 2023 Annual Report
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the availability of the 2023 Annual Report
- International Airlines Group adopts Airline Economics by Skailark ↗️
- BevZero Spain Enhances Sustainability Efforts with Installation of Solar Panels at Production Facility
- Digi Communications N.V. announces share transaction made by an Executive Director of the Company with class B shares
- BevZero South Africa Achieves FSSC 22000 Food Safety Certification
- Digi Communications N.V.: Digi Spain Enters Agreement to Sell FTTH Network to International Investors for Up to EUR 750 Million
- Patients as Partners® Europe Announces the Launch of 8th Annual Meeting with 2024 Keynotes and Topics
- driveMybox continues its international expansion: Hungary as a new strategic location
- Monesave introduces Socialised budgeting: Meet the app quietly revolutionising how users budget
- Digi Communications NV announces the release of the 2023 Preliminary Financial Results
- Digi Communications NV announces Investors Call for the presentation of the 2023 Preliminary Financial Results
- Lensa, един от най-ценените търговци на оптика в Румъния, пристига в България. Първият шоурум е открит в София
- Criando o futuro: desenvolvimento da AENO no mercado de consumo em Portugal
- Digi Communications N.V. Announces the release of the Financial Calendar for 2024
- Customer Data Platform Industry Attracts New Participants: CDP Institute Report
- eCarsTrade annonce Dirk Van Roost au poste de Directeur Administratif et Financier: une décision stratégique pour la croissance à venir
- BevZero Announces Strategic Partnership with TOMSA Desil to Distribute equipment for sustainability in the wine industry, as well as the development of Next-Gen Dealcoholization technology
- Digi Communications N.V. announces share transaction made by a Non-Executive Director of the Company with class B shares
- Digi Spain Telecom, the subsidiary of Digi Communications NV in Spain, has concluded a spectrum transfer agreement for the purchase of spectrum licenses
- Эксперт по торговле акциями Сергей Левин запускает онлайн-мастер-класс по торговле сырьевыми товарами и хеджированию
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the conclusion by Company’s Portuguese subsidiary of a framework agreement for spectrum usage rights
- North Texas Couple Completes Dream Purchase of Ouray’s Iconic Beaumont Hotel
- Предприниматель и филантроп Михаил Пелег подчеркнул важность саммита ООН по Целям устойчивого развития 2023 года в Нью-Йорке
- Digi Communications NV announces the release of the Q3 2023 Financial Results
- IQ Biozoom Innovates Non-Invasive Self-Testing, Empowering People to Self-Monitor with Laboratory Precision at Home
- BevZero Introduces Energy Saving Tank Insulation System to Europe under name “BevClad”
- Motorvision Group reduces localization costs using AI dubbing thanks to partnering with Dubformer
- Digi Communications NV Announces Investors Call for the Q3 2023 Financial Results
- Jifiti Granted Electronic Money Institution (EMI) License in Europe
- Предприниматель Михаил Пелег выступил в защиту образования и грамотности на мероприятии ЮНЕСКО, посвящённом Международному дню грамотности
- VRG Components Welcomes New Austrian Independent Agent
- Digi Communications N.V. announces that Digi Spain Telecom S.L.U., its subsidiary in Spain, and abrdn plc have completed the first investment within the transaction having as subject matter the financing of the roll out of a Fibre-to-the-Home (“FTTH”) network in Andalusia, Spain
- Продюсер Михаил Пелег, как сообщается, работает над новым сериалом с участием крупной голливудской актрисы
- Double digit growth in global hospitality industry for Q4 2023
- ITC Deploys Traffic Management Solution in Peachtree Corners, Launches into United States Market
- Cyviz onthult nieuwe TEMPEST dynamische controlekamer in Benelux, Nederland
- EU-Funded CommuniCity Launches its Second Open Call
- Astrologia pode dar pistas sobre a separação de Sophie Turner e Joe Jonas
- La astrología puede señalar las razones de la separación de Sophie Turner y Joe Jonas
- Empowering Europe against infectious diseases: innovative framework to tackle climate-driven health risks
- Montachem International Enters Compostable Materials Market with Seaweed Resins Company Loliware
- Digi Communications N.V. announces that its Belgian affiliated companies are moving ahead with their operations
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the exercise of conditional share options by an executive director of the Company, for the year 2022, as approved by the Company’s Ordinary General Shareholders’ Meeting from 18 May 2021
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the availability of the instruction regarding the payment of share dividend for the 2022 financial year
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the availability of the 2022 Annual Report
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the general shareholders’ meeting resolutions from 18 August 2023 approving amongst others, the 2022 Annual Accounts
- Русские эмигранты усиливают призывы «Я хочу, чтобы вы жили» через искусство
- BevZero Introduces State-of-the-Art Mobile Flash Pasteurization Unit to Enhance Non-Alcoholic Beverage Stability at South Africa Facility
- Russian Emigrés Amplify Pleas of “I Want You to Live” through Art
- Digi Communications NV announces the release of H1 2023 Financial Results
- Digi Communications NV Announces Investors Call for the H1 2023 Financial Results
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the convocation of the Company’s general shareholders meeting for 18 August 2023 for the approval of, among others, the 2022 Annual Report
- “Art Is Our Weapon”: Artists in Exile Deploy Their Talents in Support of Peace, Justice for Ukraine
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the availability of the 2022 Annual Financial Report
- “AmsEindShuttle” nuevo servicio de transporte que conecta el aeropuerto de Eindhoven y Ámsterdam
- Un nuovo servizio navetta “AmsEindShuttle” collega l’aeroporto di Eindhoven ad Amsterdam
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the conclusion of an amendment agreement to the Facility Agreement dated 26 July 2021, by the Company’s Spanish subsidiary
- Digi Communications N.V. announces an amendment of the Company’s 2023 financial calendar
- iGulu F1: Brewing Evolution Unleashed
- Почему интерактивная «Карта мира» собрала ключевые антивоенные сообщества россиян по всему миру и становится для них важнейшим инструментом
- Hajj Minister meets EU ambassadors to Saudi Arabia
- Online Organizing Platform “Map of Peace” Emerges as Key Tool for Diaspora Activists
- Digi Communications N.V. announces that conditional stock options were granted to executive directors of the Company based on the general shareholders’ meeting approval from 18 May 2021
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the release of the Q1 2023 financial results
- AMBROSIA – A MULTIPLEXED PLASMO-PHOTONIC BIOSENSING PLATFORM FOR RAPID AND INTELLIGENT SEPSIS DIAGNOSIS AT THE POINT-OF-CARE
- Digi Communications NV announces Investors Call for the Q1 2023 Financial Results presentation
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the amendment of the Company’s 2023 financial calendar
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the conclusion of two Facilities Agreements by the Company’s Romanian subsidiary
- Digi Communications N.V. announces the conclusion of a Senior Facility Agreement by the Company’s Romanian subsidiary
- Patients as Partners Europe Returns to London and Announces Agenda Highlights
- GRETE PROJECT RESULTS PRESENTED TO TEXTILE INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS AT INTERNATIONAL CELLULOSE FIBRES CONFERENCE
- Digi Communications N.V. announces Digi Spain Telecom S.L.U., its subsidiary in Spain, entered into an investment agreement with abrdn to finance the roll out of a Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) network in Andalusia, Spain
- XSpline SPA / University of Linz (Austria): the first patient has been enrolled in the international multicenter clinical study for the Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy DeliveRy guided by non-Invasive electrical and VEnous anatomy assessment (CRT-DRIVE)
- Franklin Junction Expands Host Kitchen® Network To Europe with Digital Food Hall Pioneer Casper
- Unihertz a dévoilé un nouveau smartphone distinctif, Luna, au MWC 2023 de Barcelone
- Unihertz Brachte ein Neues, Markantes Smartphone, Luna, auf dem MWC 2023 in Barcelona
- Editor's pick archive....