New Delhi, June 12 -- Brookfield Asset Management Inc. is in talks with domestic institutional investors to sell shares worth $300 million in Altius Telecom Infrastructure Trust, two people aware of the matter said. The Canada-headquartered investor is looking to complete the sale later this month or early next month. The private placement will value the trust at around $5 billion, one of the people said, asking not to be identified as the details are private. The share sale plan comes ahead of an expected initial public offering (IPO) by Altius Telecom. The transaction aims to establish a valuation benchmark for the asset prior to its formal public listing, the second person added. Brookfield is focusing on domestic financial institutions that already hold investments within India's infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) ecosystem. A clutch of banks including JM Financial Ltd, Axis Capital Ltd, Kotak Mahindra Capital Co., Citigroup Inc., Jefferies Financial Group Inc., and Novaaone Capital Pvt. Ltd are said to be advising Brookfield on the transaction. News website Moneycontrol was the first to report on 9 March that Brookfield's telecom tower InvIT planned to raise up to Rs.9,000 crore through an IPO. "We do not comment on market speculation or unverified reports," an Altius spokesperson said in an emailed response to Mint's queries. Brookfield declined to comment. Altius Telecom manages a telecom tower portfolio that supports digital connectivity across 22 telecom circles. The vehicle, originally established as Data Infrastructure Trust, has expanded its operations through a series of acquisitions managed by its sponsor, and its asset base includes entities such as Summit Digitel, Crest Digitel, and Elevar Digitel. Of the 28 InvITs registered in India as of June 2026, only eight are publicly listed and traded. However, the sector is poised for massive expansion. According to a November 2025 report by Crisil Market Intelligence, total assets under management (AUM) for Indian InvITs are projected to surge from Rs.6.28 trillion in 2025 to Rs.21 trillion by 2030, clocking a compound annual growth rate of about 27%. As of March 2025, India's InvIT portfolio was anchored firmly in core infrastructure, with roads commanding 39% of total AUM, followed by fibre networks at 35% and telecom towers at 14%. The InvIT listed its units on the BSE in September 2020, without launching an IPO. This followed an initial offer and private placement conducted under the the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi) regulations for infrastructure investment trusts. Altius currently has a market cap of Rs.51,806 crore. Under the regulatory framework for private trusts, the units are not publicly traded by retail investors. The market structure restricts trading access to institutional entities and high-net-worth investors capable of meeting the mandatory large-lot subscription thresholds required for privately placed infrastructure investment vehicles. The planned IPO will alter this structure, permitting retail market participation on public exchanges via standard lot sizes....