(Telecompaper) Australian builder Leighton Holdings is in exclusive talks to sell 70 percent of its data telecom subsidiary, NextGen, to a consortium led by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. The sale values NextGen at AUD 885 million. Leighton said in September last year that it would sell the subsidiary to an unnamed company to pay down its debt. NextGen's assets include a long-haul fibre optic network, cloud storage division Infoplex and data centre company Metronode. The transaction is subject to standard closing conditions. Leighton CEO Hamish Tyrwhitt said a key element of the company's strategy is the recycling of capital such as its telecom infrastructure assets which are considered non-core. The proposed sale follows the completion of a detailed strategic review of the assets, and bids from various parties. Leighton remains fully committed to providing construction, maintenance and field services to the telecom market through a number of subsidiaries. Leighton is controlled by Spanish group Actividades de Construccion y Servicios through its German subsidiary Hochtief.