Telstra has agreed to sell a 75% stake in Versent Group to Infosys in a deal valued at $233 million, marking a significant step in the telco’s strategy to narrow its enterprise portfolio and focus on core connectivity capabilities.
The transaction, part of Telstra’s Connected Future 30 strategy, comes just eight months after it acquired Versent for $267.5 million to strengthen its Telstra Purple operations. Under the terms, Versent will retain its brand and continue operating as a stand-alone business, preserving its culture and customer base while gaining access to Infosys’ global reach.
Maintaining Brand and Expanding Reach
Versent, best known for helping Australian enterprises transition from legacy systems to modern cloud environments, will continue delivering its signature services under its own banner. It will also keep its portfolio of associated companies and offerings, including Epicon, Telstra Purple Digital², and related cloud access solutions.
“Versent Group has earned its reputation by enabling digital transformation at scale,” said Telstra CEO Vicki Brady. “Our partnership with Infosys reflects confidence in the value we can unlock together. Infosys’ global scale, industry knowledge, and culture of innovation will be instrumental in accelerating Versent Group’s impact across the region.”
Strategic Collaboration for Customers
The deal is more than just a change of ownership. Telstra will keep a 25% minority stake and enter a strategic referral arrangement with Infosys, allowing both companies to cross-leverage offerings. Brady noted that customers stand to benefit from the combined strengths of Telstra’s network infrastructure, Versent’s specialised engineering teams, and Infosys’ international expertise.
Infosys CEO Salil Parekh added, “Expanding our trusted collaboration with Telstra unveils new opportunities to accelerate the innovation agenda for enterprises across the region.”
Deal Structure and Financial Context
The $233 million price tag consists of a $175 million upfront payment and additional deferred payments contingent on performance and other conditions.
The sale comes amid a strong financial year for Telstra. For FY25, ending 30 June, the company reported:
- EBITDA up 14% to $8.6 billion
- Net profit up 31% to $2.3 billion
- Fourth consecutive year of underlying growth, driven by disciplined cost control and momentum across multiple business segments
Telstra’s mobile unit saw $235 million in EBITDA growth, aided by higher ARPU, while Fixed Enterprise EBITDA rose $103 million after a major reset and cost reductions. However, international EBITDA fell by $96 million, impacted by declines in Wholesale, Enterprise, and Digicel Pacific, prompting Telstra to streamline operations and exit the majority of NAS (Network Application Services) products in its international arm.
Versent’s Role in the Bigger Picture
Versent has been a key contributor to Telstra’s NAS growth, with managed services, professional services, and cloud solutions offsetting declines in other NAS areas. NAS cloud applications revenue grew 4.6% thanks to increased demand for AWS and Microsoft Azure solutions.
For Telstra, the partial divestment of Versent is not a retreat, but a strategic repositioning — allowing the telco to focus on high-return connectivity services while ensuring Versent can scale faster under Infosys’ global umbrella.
“This partnership positions Versent for its next growth chapter,” Brady said. “It’s about giving them the resources and reach to make an even bigger impact, while enabling Telstra to deliver on our core strengths.”