As a part of the agreement, some of the founding shareholders of Route Mobile will reinvest in a minority stake in Proximus Opal, a subsidiary of Belgium’s digital services and communication provider Proximus Group, and the holding company of Telesign, Proximus' US-based affiliate. The combined group will have significantly expanded customer reach and would become the world’s third largest player (based on messaging volume). Proximus' CPaaS portfolio will be significantly enhanced by the addition of Route Mobile’s capabilities, particularly in the area of omnichannel. This will help to capture value from the current generative AI-driven transformation in customer engagement. Upon closing of the transaction, the CPaaS activities of the combined group will be led by Rajdip Gupta, CEO of Route Mobile, who will continue in his current role.
Geographically, Route Mobile's presence in the Indian sub-continent, Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America perfectly complements Telesign's presence in Europe and North America, giving the combined group global customer coverage in over 200 countries and territories and exposure to high growth markets.
NautaDutilh acted as Belgian counsel alongside AZB & Partners (India), Cravath, Swaine & Moore (US) and Slaughter and May (UK). The NautaDutilh core team consisted of Nicolas de Crombrugghe, Olivier Van Wouwe, Don Baudewyns, Hussein Dagher (Corporate & Finance), Vincent Wellens, Sigrid Heirbrant (GDPR, IP & Tech), Ken Lioen, Aurélien Lenaerts (Tax), Mauricette Schaufeli, Evi Mattioli, Jurriaan Bos (FDI & Competition), Philippe François and Frédérique Czanik (Employment).