Czech group DRFG buys German fiber-optic firm GP-Projekte

Investment group DRFG, owned by Czech entrepreneurs David Rusňák and Roman Řezníček, continues expanding its telecommunications business — the company has acquired an 80% stake in the German engineering firm GP-Projekte, which specializes in designing and building fiber-optic networks. The deal's value hasn't been officially disclosed, but according to Czech media it runs into several hundred million crowns.

The purchase is being made by the group's telecom arm, Suntel Group, which builds and maintains networks for major European operators. “GP-Projekte complements our expertise in mobile networks with advanced know-how in optical infrastructure. This acquisition will help us sustain further growth in the German market,” said Roman Řezníček, who heads the telecom division at DRFG Investment Group and owns 40% of the parent company.

Germany's GP-Projekte runs projects across the country, with its capacity complemented by a subsidiary in Portugal. Last year the firm's revenue reached 15 million euros (more than 360 million crowns), with EBITDA of nearly 2 million euros (about 50 million crowns). GP-Projekte co-founder Hansjörg Petz will continue advising the company as a strategic consultant, while the other co-founder, Markus Gothe, will remain a minority shareholder.

Thanks to the deal, Germany becomes Suntel Group's second-most-important market after Switzerland — the company Řezníček himself founded more than a quarter-century ago and later folded into DRFG's structure. Suntel Group also operates in Austria, Czechia and Slovakia, where it owns the FibreNet backbone optical network. This year the division's revenue is expected to exceed 90 million euros — about 2.2 billion crowns. “The merger lets us cover the whole chain — from design and permitting to building mobile and optical networks,” said Suntel Group CEO Slavomír Slanina.

DRFG Investment Group itself has operated since 2011, when it was founded in Brno by its current majority owner, David Rusňák. Besides telecommunications, the group's business rests on three other pillars — real estate, finance and energy — and the company operates in eight European countries. Last year DRFG's operating revenue reached 3.75 billion crowns, net profit grew to 340 million, and equity rose from 1.25 to 1.46 billion crowns. “Net profit hit an all-time high, while we reduced the volume of bonds issued,” said DRFG chief financial officer Hana Cejtamlová.