Deal Talks

Hosted by TMT Finance

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Episodes

Latest episode

Sep 2026

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EN-GB

About the show

Essential listening for dealmakers active in Digital Infrastructure, Deal Talks features leading voices from across the industry and capital stack on the hottest themes in the market, including what's driving M&A, how valuations are changing and what impact AI and energy transition are having on investment strategies. Deal Talks is brought to you by TMT Finance, the only sector-dedicated provider of M&A and financing proprietary intelligence and data for the industry.

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27 recent

September 30, 2026Episode 2719 min

Stephen Rose, CEO at Render Networks, discusses execution capacity as the missing variable in the AI Infrastructure boom

Stephen Rose, CEO at Render Networks, discusses why execution capacity has become the missing variable in the AI infrastructure boom, the bottlenecks slowing fibre and datacentre deployment, how this risk is being priced into deals, and what it will take to close the gap. Execution bottlenecks in digital infrastructure – 1:20 The planning-to-delivery gap – 5:43 Pricing execution risk into deals – 7:14 Closing the execution gap: AI literacy and leadership – 10:17 Key investor questions on execution capacity – 14:11 Outlook: permitting and integration challenges – 16:34

June 17, 2026Episode 269 min

Jim Ryan, SVP and CSO at Liberty Global, discusses European telecom consolidation, Liberty Global's capital allocation strategy, and opportunities in funding network upgrades

Jim Ryan, SVP and CSO at Liberty Global, discusses the company's capital allocation priorities, the wave of European telecom consolidation and M&A, the rationale behind the UPC Slovakia sale, and emerging network funding opportunities tied to AI and data center demand. Liberty Global strategy and capital allocation – 00:34 European connectivity opportunities – 01:30 Portfolio focus after UPC Slovakia sale – 02:53 Defining a “good exit” in smaller markets – 03:40 Regulation and European consolidation – 04:45 Funding network upgrades: opportunities and constraints – 06:28

May 18, 2026Episode 2522 min

Krzysztof Wróbel, CFO at Światłowód Inwestycje, discusses Poland's fibre financing and consolidation landscape, key lender priorities, and S-I's rollout and M&A strategy

Krzysztof Wróbel, CFO and Management Board Member at Światłowód Inwestycje (S-I), discusses fibre financing and consolidation in Poland, key lender priorities, monetisation and take-up trends, and the company’s fibre rollout and M&A strategy. S-I’s landmark fibre refinancing – 1:02 What lenders value in fibre operators – 3:03 S-I’s rollout and acquisition strategy – 5:37 Key risks and success metrics in fibre M&A – 10:11 Consolidation trends shaping Polish fibre – 12:53 Copper switch-off and fibre’s strategic importance - 16:46 The next phase of fibre market growth – 19:36

February 18, 2026Episode 2417 min

Scott Baker, Managing Partner at Oak Hill Capital, discusses US fibre consolidation, how new pools of capital are reshaping the market, and where Oak Hill sees the greatest opportunities

Scott Baker, Managing Partner at Oak Hill Capital, discusses US fibre consolidation, how new pools of capital are reshaping the market, and where Oak Hill sees the greatest opportunities. Oak Hill’s US fibre consolidation outlook – 1:38 Lessons from scaling Metronet into a major FTTH platform – 3:47 Build vs buy market dynamics – 6:01 Bolt-on acquisition strategies – 8:07 Regional consolidation strategy – 9:31 Assessing the next phase of consolidation – 12:46 New pools of capital in the fibre market – 13:39

January 22, 2026Episode 2320 min

Sachit Ahuja, Co-President of Tillman Global Holdings, discusses investment strategy across private towers, US fibre and global datacentres in 2025 and the outlook for 2026

Sachit Ahuja , Co-President of Tillman Global Holdings, discusses how 2025 shaped TGH’s investment strategy and its outlook for 2026, including the private tower market, a growing focus on US fibre, and global datacentre development. US tower market outlook for 2026 (0:46) Build-to-suit yields in the private tower market (4:10) Market shifts toward longer hold periods and patient capital (6:34) Expanding focus on fibre and open-access fibre (8:48) Entry into datacentres and defining edge assets (11:45) Energy transition as a standalone investment opportunity (14:07)

October 29, 2025Episode 2216 min

Simon McCormick, CCO of Echelon Data Centres, discusses models of collaboration between datacentres and utilities across Europe and the US

Simon McCormick, CCO of Echelon Data Centres, discusses how the dynamics between datacentres and utility companies are evolving in line with the changing risk-return profile of greenfield datacentre development across Europe and the US. The JV partnership between Echelon and Iberdrola - 00:50 American/European approaches to the datacentre-utility-investor paradigm - 2:35 Risk perceptions and impact on traditional developer-led models - 5:20 Why Spain works; will the JV model work elsewhere? - 9:37 The Madrid-Sur project and future scalability - 13:05

September 30, 2025Episode 2126 min

Emmanuel Becker, CEO of Mediterra DataCenters, discusses the crucial importance of colocation datacentres in Southern Europe and beyond, M&A opportunities and integration

Emmanuel Becker, CEO of Mediterra DataCenters, discusses the importance of colocation datacentres in Southern Europe and beyond, integrating acquired assets, new M&A opportunities, and his mission to shift the focus to Tier II markets. Identifying a gap in the DC market – 1:55 A new era of digital acceleration – 9:40 Mediterra’s M&A approach – 13:39 The crucial importance of Tier II markets – 16:51 Planning mid-voltage DCs in Southern Europe – 21:40

September 3, 2025Episode 2019 min

Jake Robson, Co-Shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, discusses datacentre consolidation & private credit as alternative funding

Jake Robson, Co-Shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, discusses datacentre consolidation, private credit as alternative funding, and navigating geopolitical challenges, sustainability and talent gaps. Datacentre consolidation, strategic investor involvement - 2:25 Private credit as an alternative funding source in APAC - 7:12 Navigating rising costs from US-China tariffs - 8:13 How Chinese hyperscalers are navigating geopolitics - 10:17 Sustainability efforts and impact on deal structures - 11:44 Addressing talent gaps - 13:46

August 5, 202528 min

Brian McMullen and James Trout discuss Snowhawk and CleanArc’s partnership and future-proof datacentre platforms

Brian McMullen, Managing Partner & Co-Founder of Snowhawk and James Trout, CEO of CleanArc, discuss their partnership and what capital foundations are essential to create future-proof datacentre platforms. Snowhawk and CleanArc’s paths since inception – 0.35 Datacentre investment landscape over 36 months – 4.20 Unpacking Snowhawk and CleanArc’s tie-up – 10.50 Locating geographic opportunities – 14.50 Capital allocation avenues – 18.30 Factoring in energy resilience – 21.00

July 16, 2025Episode 1826 min

Julian Cunningham-Day and Rich Jones, Partners at Linklaters, discuss deal trends in the European fixed line and fibre NetCo space

Julian Cunningham-Day and Rich Jones, Partners at Linklaters, discuss deal trends in the European fixed line and fibre NetCo space, including what it takes to create a NetCo, the current market motivations behind their formation, and potential risks. Defining NetCos and carveouts from integrated operators - 01:09 Creating new avenues for new types of investors - 05.50 Practicalities of establishing a NetCo - 08:43 Timelines to deal execution - 12.30 Variations on the ‘NetCo’ concept to achieve different aims - 18:35

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