CDPQ partners with Everstream's in its recent debt capital raise to expand U.S. fiber network

• CDPQ's USD 150-million (CAD 190-million) commitment to Everstream's senior financing facility will support the expansion of the company's business-only fiber network across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.
• This commitment is part of the previously announced refinancing of over USD 1 billion of Everstream's overall debt capital arrangement, which includes senior and junior tranches.

MONTRÉAL, May 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), a global investment group, today announced a USD 150-million (CAD 190-million) investment in a senior financing facility, provided through its wholly-owned subsidiary, CDPQ Revenu Fixe VIII Inc., to Everstream Solutions, a U.S.-based business-only fiber telecommunications company. The transaction is part of a hybrid OpCo/HoldCo financing model to refinance Everstream's existing credit facilities and offer flexible capital for further network growth and densification across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Everstream provides mid- to large?sized businesses high-capacity, low-latency fiber connectivity solutions. Having experienced significant growth in recent years, Everstream's all-fiber network now spans more than 27,000 miles of fiber, with 5,000+ on?net locations and connectivity available in 63 data centers across their 10-state footprint.

"Alongside financial partners who truly understand what we do and focus on Everstream's long-term growth, we can build critical infrastructure and deploy more fiber to our business customers to create lasting value," said Brett Lindsey, CEO, Everstream. "With the backing of a diverse group of lenders and institutional investors that includes CDPQ as part of our new debt capital arrangement, we're excited to fuel the next stage of our growth."

"The need to meet rising demands in capacity and connectivity and to expand digital infrastructure across rural and urban zones is crucial to enable companies to better compete in today's economy," said
Marc Cormier, Executive Vice-President and Head of Fixed Income at CDPQ. "We are pleased, along with an esteemed group of lenders, to support Everstream's strategy to expand in its target markets and densify its high?quality network to provide even more fiber services to U.S. businesses."

CDPQ joins a group of banks and institutional investors to support Everstream, which includes owner AMP Capital.

Everstream has raised the bar for business connectivity, delivering a business-only fiber network with the speed, reliability, scale and performance that today's enterprises demand. With more than 27,000 route miles of fiber and speeds up to 100 Gbps, Everstream's enterprise-grade network delivers robust business fiber services, including internet, WAN, data center connectivity and dark fiber. Through its "Do What You Say You Will Do" approach, Everstream is a valued partner dedicated to the success of business customers. For more information, visit everstream.net.

At Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), we invest constructively to generate sustainable returns over the long term. As a global investment group managing funds for public retirement and insurance plans, we work alongside our partners to build enterprises that drive performance and progress. We are active in the major financial markets, private equity, infrastructure, real estate and private debt. As at December 31, 2021, CDPQ's net assets totalled CAD 419.8 billion. For more information, visit cdpq.com, follow us on Twitter or consult our Facebook or LinkedIn pages.

SOURCE Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec