Telent Acquires the Harlequin Group

Telent has acquired the Harlequin Group, a specialist technology services company.

Complementing Telent’s existing business operations, building telecom infrastructure for mobile network operators (MNO) and service providers, the acquisition significantly enhances its professional services capability in the site acquisition and design arena.

This will allow Telent to provide a comprehensive and expanded ADC (acquire, design & construct) service and provide complete turnkey project solutions to the UK’s MNOs, at a time when mobile networks are rapidly migrating to 5G technology.

The Harlequin Group was founded in 1993 and is now a market leader in the mobile and fixed line sectors working on site acquisition, town & country planning, community relations, estates management, valuation, technical surveys, civil & electrical design and site build services.

This all started in 1995 when they worked on the 2G networks developed by Cellnet (O2), Orange (EE) and T-Mobile. Later projects included the delivery of Government projects, such as the Mobile Infrastructure Project (MIP) and the Smart Metering network in Scotland, as well as fibre broadband expansion throughout the whole of the United Kingdom. They currently work from offices in Chatham, Bromsgrove and Livingston in Scotland.

In addition to enabling Telent to deliver a comprehensive range of services to support MNOs with all aspects of delivering public 5G networks, the acquisition is highly complementary to the company’s leading role with 5G Private Network applications. Telent successfully deployed one of the UK’s first 5G Private Networks at the Silvertown Tunnel construction site in east London. In addition to deployments such as this in the construction industry, the company are engaged with 5G Private Network projects across manufacturing facilities, logistics and distribution centres, transport hubs, container ports and campus environments.

Jo Gretton, CEO of Telent, commented, “Telent has an established and successful business supporting the UK’s MNOs with the deployment of their networks and base station infrastructure. With our strong background in wireless network deployment, our area of focus has historically been more on the physical build and construction activity. The addition of the site acquisition, planning and design capability that the team at Harlequin bring to Telent enables us to provide a complete and compelling proposition for the UK MNO market. The timing of this acquisition is ideal as the UK’s mobile networks are ramping up their transition to 5G technology.”

David Summers, MD and founder of the Harlequin Group, added, “Telent are recognised as a leading player in the construction of both fixed and mobile telecoms infrastructure. The scale and reach that Telent offer - combined with the expertise of the Harlequin Group in acquisition, planning and design - will offer a really powerful proposition for MNOs. The resulting synergies will benefit both Telent’s and Harlequin’s existing customers and create the opportunity to further scale-up as the migration towards 5G gathers pace. Being part of Telent also offers exciting opportunities for additional personal and professional development for the team at Harlequin.”

The addition of the Harlequin Group also expands Telent’s capabilities with fibre network planning, surveying and design. Overall, the acquisition further strengthens Telent’s capability and strategic focus on the design, build, support and management of the UK and Ireland’s critical digital infrastructure, across transport, emergency services, utilities, and public sector as well as fixed and mobile networks for service providers.

As a wholly owned subsidiary of Telent, the Harlequin Group will form a key part of the company’s Network Services division and, under the leadership of David Summers, will continue to trade with the Harlequin brand.

Telent were supported with this acquisition by Pinsent Mason LLP and Ernst & Young LLP. The Harlequin Group were advised on their sale by RSM UK Corporate Finance LLP and Hill Dickinson LLP.