There was a bit of network M&A up in the Pacific Northwest yesterday. Integra has agreed to purchase Seattle’s World Communications Inc, also known as WCI. It is Integra’s second inorganic move of the year, following the purchase of ProTel Networks back in March. The deal boosts Integra’s market presence in the state of Washington across a range of voice, data, and colo products.
Integra had been pretty quiet on the M&A scene for the past few years as it has refocused its business to take better advantage of its fiber footprint. Back in 2006 and 2007 though, today’s Integra was formed out of the merger of Integra Telecom, Electric Lightwave, and Eschelon Telecom.
In comparison the purchases of WCI and ProTel are relatively small potatoes, but the winds have clearly now shifted. Most talk about Integra and M&A still has them on the seller’s side of the table, with potential buyers like Windstream looming large.
They still have assets that would be attractive to potential buyers, of course, but they are now clearly looking at those assets as a consolidation platform of their own on which they can bolt on some additional revenues and capabilities. So far they haven’t been adding actual fiber assets via inorganic means, but I suspect that could change should the opportunity arise.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and the deal should be completed later this quarter. The two companies ae very familiar with each other, having done business together for many years.
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Categories: Mergers and Acquisitions · Metro fiber
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surpising cautious small move plays by Kevin O Hara, he of MFS 12 Billion sale, Level 3 startup and funding in teh billions, Level 3 (7) acquisition in 2-3 year period. The later was what did him in by the way as there was no way COO shoudl have signed off on that may simultaneous integration projects and he set himself up for failure. But Integra almost nothing happening since his taking over, granted internal cleanup repositioing etc would be the story line. Do you belive KOH learned lessons at Level 3 and is laser focused on internal org and structure development prior to getting more aggressive in M&A, or Integra simply is not a player with limited resources and not much he can get done there, or simply perfuming what was a pig and looking to cash out. With Caruso/Zayo, Storey/Level 3, etc I would think his ego would make him want to get in teh game ore than Integra has shown in 2-3 years. My guess is we will hear more from KOH and Integra
Storey is on another level. I doubt Kevin is focused on what Caruso is doing. He strikes me as laser focused on Integra and getting them to success slowly but surely. Caruso has had a mountain of luck with the team they assembled at Zayo, hopefully Kevin will have the same good fortune.