What is the biggest change you’ve seen in the wireless sector since you started in the industry, and how has that impacted how you think about growing Digital Bridge and Digital Colony?
The amount of data being produced, transported and consumed every day is astounding. According to an IBM report, approximately 90 percent of the data in the world has been generated over the last two years alone. That pace is accelerating, and it is only the beginning.
We’ve seen mobile data use evolve from voice and text (2G) to websites and browsing (3G) to streaming and big data (4G). The next phase of network evolution (5G) will pave the way for the industrialization of wireless networks: smart cities, enhanced public safety, autonomous vehicles, AI and other new technologies that will require significant investment, coordination and operational expertise.
This enormous megatrend is driving the need for more digital infrastructure to support bandwidth requirements, data storage and compute needs. Towers, small cells, fiber and data centers will serve as the backbone of the deployment of 5G and cloud networks.
We believe today’s market conditions present a unique opportunity to invest in mobile and internet infrastructure. Our expertise and track record in the sector allow us to be uniquely positioned to capitalize on these tailwinds and to accelerate our growth.
How do Digital Bridge and Digital Colony differentiate themselves in an increasingly crowded space? Where are the opportunities for growth of the company?
We have seen a lot of new investor interest in the sector but no one else can really say they have our history or level of expertise in digital infrastructure.
Our portfolio construction has been the result of long-term relationships that help us generate attractive, risk-adjusted opportunities. The majority of our closed transactions have been the result of direct, bilateral negotiations with sellers, not auctions. Also, our team’s deep operational and industry expertise allows us to really build companies (and the underlying infrastructure) rather just competing for stabilized assets.
We are a sector-focused investor with an active pipeline of unique opportunities across all of our target sectors.