SONDA : invests in a Brazilian company that provides state-of-the-art data center services

Belo Horizonte, August 25, 2016. - SONDA is the largest Latin American Information Technology (IT) company and within its US$ 790 million triennial investment plan for 2016 to 2018 it has announced an investment in Ativas, which is a Brazilian company based in the state of Minas Gerais dedicated to Data Center Services and Cloud Computing. This company has the only world-class data center in that state, which is located in Belo Horizonte. Ativas belongs to Cemig and Asamar, who are two large corporate business groups in the state of Minas Gerais.

The transaction is subject to approval by CADE (The Economic Defense Administrative Council), which is expected within the next 60 days.

SONDA's capital contribution is R$ 114 million, (approximately US$ 35 million), which represents a 60% share of Ativas, with Cemig and Asamar holding the remaining 40%. This strategic alliance strengthens the commitment of the partners to provide quality services to high security and availability standards, which add value to the business processes of its customers.

Ativas began in 2010. It provides various services based on its Tier III Certified Data Center that uses the most modern international parameters for environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. It also has a white room of 1,500 m2, within a building that has 6,000 m2 of floor space, on a 11,000 m2 plot, which allows for future expansion. Ativas is fully committed to developing its business and has a relevant portfolio of customers, some of them major Brazilian companies and several of the largest companies in the state of Minas Gerais. In 2016, Ativas expects to achieve revenue of R$ 62 million (approximately US$ 19 million).

The state of Minas Gerais is recognized as the second pole of technological development within Brazil. The state has a population of 20 million. In 2015 its GDP was U$S 207 billion, and a growing demand for IT Managed Service Providers (MSP) is expected.

The technological infrastructure associated with this new investment will enable SONDA to strengthen its business strategy for major integration and outsourcing projects, complementing its current services based on Data Center Infrastructure provided from its facilities in Sao Paulo and Latin America.

Ativas will add a first class portfolio of customers to SONDA's business, as well as a qualified technical team, which will enable SONDA to expand its service coverage within the state of Minas Gerais and throughout Brazil.

SONDA's Chairman, Mario Pavon, believes that this new investment will significantly enhance the Company's business prospects within the largest IT market in Latin America, noting that 'It represents an important expansion in Brazil, and will enable us to add complementary services, better penetrate the large contracts market, and strengthen our Cloud Computing and Mission Critical services'. He added that 'We are very excited about this investment. It has avoided having to establish our own Data Center with such characteristics in Brazil, which would require a 'time to market' of at least 4 years'. Finally, he mentioned that 'This alliance combines SONDA's abilities and experience with first class partners such as Cemig and Asamar, which seems to me to be very good news for Minas Gerais'.

The Chairman of Cemig Telecom, Aloísio Vasconcelos, emphasized that 'SONDA's investment in Ativas represents a very important strategic alliance, as it demonstrates the commitment of foreign investors to strengthen the company. SONDA has expertise in Data Center services, both within and outside of Brazil, and this alliance is part of our strategy. Therefore, Cemig Telecom continues to boldly expand its portfolio of corporate customers, and aims to consolidate the northeast and midwest markets'. Cemig Telecom will continue to be a shareholder in Ativas.

The shareholder of the Asamar Group, Paulo Moraes, believes that 'SONDA's investment in the company and its management represents an important step forward in the history of Ativas. SONDA has 42 years of IT experience. It is a mature company that understands the Brazilian market and it has excellent professionals who will complement our team and the good progress already achieved by Ativas in the market. Therefore, growth will certainly accelerate'.

SONDA information (www.sonda.com):SONDA is the leading Information Technology Services company in Latin America, with offices in ten countries across the region and 17,000 employees. Its revenue was US$ 1,255 million in 2015. Press Contact: María Teresa Riveros, telephone: [phone], email: [e-mail].

Cemig Telecom information(www.cemigtelecom.com): This company belongs to the Cemig Group, the largest integrated electricity company in Brazil. Cemig Telecom is a telecommunications operator that provides one of the finest and largest optical networks for telecommunications services in the country. It has recently expanded into northeast and midwest Brazil, to reach over 90 cities with over 9,300 km of cable. It provides telecommunications services and internet access (ISP) to the corporate segment.

Asamar information(www.asamar.com.br): Asamar is a traditional corporate group within the state of Minas Gerais. It was founded in 1932 and now has vast experience across various business sectors. Its current investment portfolio includes significant interests in companies such as ALESAT, CSul, MASB, Codeme and Ativas. It directly and indirectly employs over 25,000 people and its consolidated turnover in 2015 was R$ 12.0 billion.