About Gavin Smith
Gavin is Co-Practice Group Leader of the Allens Corporate Practice Group, and Practice Leader of the firm's Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice.
He is a market-leading adviser to both investors and operating companies on complex and large-scale digital infrastructure transactions, including in relation to telecommunications fibre and towers, data centres, registries and other alternative digital infrastructure assets.
Gavin also advises on new technology platforms and products, commercial and regulatory telecommunications matters, and complex data, privacy and AI projects and regulatory investigations.
Prior to Gavin's time at Allens, he worked at both Linklaters and Clifford Chance in London. He has a Masters with Honours in Modern History from St. Andrews University, Scotland, and is admitted to practice both in New South Wales and in England and Wales.
Selected transactions on which Gavin has advised include:
Digital Infrastructure
- TPG Telecom: the sale of its fibre network infrastructure and its enterprise, government and wholesale (EGW) fixed line business to Vocus Group Limited for an enterprise value of $5.25bn
- Caisse de depot et placement de Québec (CDPQ): its acquisition of a 50% co-controlling stake in telco tower provider Connexa from Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) and Spark New Zealand for NZ$909 million
- Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board: the acquisition of a 70% interest in Connexa, the mobile tower company of Spark New Zealand, and subsequently on the acquisition by OTPP and Connexa of 2degrees' passive mobile tower assets for NZ$1,076 million
- TPG Telecom: the sale of the TPG Telecom mobile tower and rooftop infrastructure assets to OMERS and Stilmark for $950m
- Morrison and a consortium comprising Future Fund, CSC and ART: the $2.8bn acquisition of a 49% interest in Amplitel, Telstra’s InfraCo Towers
- TPG Telecom: its long-term tower access arrangements with Axicom
- Macquarie Capital: its investment into GigaComm
- Morrison and Brookfield: the $3.4bn acquisition of Uniti Group by way of scheme of arrangement
- Morrison and CSC and Infratil: the $1.1bn acquisition of Canberra Data Centres from Quadrant Private Equity
- NSW Department of Customer Services: the establishment and ongoing operation of its GovDC Data Centre Reform Program, including the procurement of the build of two purpose-built data centres, and the transfer of ownership of those data centres from OTPP to Equinix
- Australian Registry Investments (ARI) - a consortium led by Hastings Funds Management and Aware Super: its successful $2.6bn bid to operate a 35-year concession of the land titling and registry operations of New South Wales Land and Property Information
- Aware Super: its successful $2.86bn bid for a concession to operate the land titles and registry functions of Land Use Victoria for a 40-year term
- Various other private capital investors: bidding and diligence processes for assets including data centre operators and telecommunications providers.
Selected other matters and clients
- Foxtel and Fox Sports: a variety of sports media rights arrangements, including in relation to the NRL, AFL and motorsports
- Uber: a range of matters, including a three-year investigation by the OAIC resulting in a determination issued in 2021
- Sympli: all aspects of its establishment as a new electronic lodgment network operator
- News Corporation, ANZ, NSW LRS, Experian, Epic Games, the NSW Government and others on a variety of commercial, corporate and regulatory matters.
Awards and rankings
- Band 1 TMT: Information Technology in Chambers Asia-Pacific 2025
- Band 2 TMT: Telecommunications in Chambers Asia-Pacific 2025
- Leading Partner IT and Telecoms in Legal 500 2025
- Leading Partner Media in Legal 500 2025
- Leading Partner Data Protection in Legal 500 2025
- Thought Leader Telecoms, Media & Entertainment in Lexology Index 2025.