This Week in Telecom: July 7th
This Week in Telecom is a weekly news round-up on VoipReview.org that aims to give our readers a fast and easy way to catch up on the latest news and top stories that are trending in the voice and telecommunications space. Check in each and every Friday to find out more about stories you may have missed in regards to new companies, mergers, trends, and other telecom advancements.
Let’s take a look at some new items you may have missed this week:
Consolidated Communications Closes Acquisition of Fairpoint
Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CNSL), a leading broadband and business communications provider, recently announced that it has finally closed its acquisition of FairPoint Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRP), a North Carolina-based communications company. The all-stock transaction, valued at approximately $1.3 billion including debt and based on present equity value, was first announced in December last year. The merger is set to create a larger broadband and business service company with a wider reach, spanning over 24 states.
Bob Udell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Consolidated Communications, stated in a release that with the greater scale and resources that the combined company now possesses, they will be in a much better position to serve the ever-changing needs of their customers. “We are excited to close on the acquisition and look forward to realizing the many benefits of this merger and leveraging our combined team’s expertise,” said Udell. Some of the exciting benefits of the merger include the company’s enhanced product and services portfolio, significant fiber network expansion, a more experienced team, and a stronger financial profile.
Under the terms of the agreement, Bob Udell will continue to lead the combined company as President and Chief Executive Officer, while Steve Childers will serve as its Chief Financial Officer. The newly combined company will also have its headquarters in Mattoon, Ill. For more information on the merger, please visit Consolidated Communications’ website.
Nixxis Expands in Turkey with Opening of New Office
To better address the needs of contact centers worldwide as well as broaden its international presence, Nixxis, a provider of cloud-based contact center solutions and software, announced the opening of its new office in Istanbul, Turkey.
As Turkey’s contact center industry continues to grow, Nixxis CEO Luc F. Jacobs said in a release that the opening of their new facility in the country will allow them to equip regional contact centers with the support they need to satisfy customers. “Over the past 5 years, Nixxis has been operating in Turkey and thereby built a close partnership with a number of leading telecom and business process outsourcing companies. This is an exciting opportunity for Nixxis to expand to a market that will certainly benefit from the targeted solutions we are proud to provide,” said Jacobs.Nixxis welcomes Volkan Yilma as a Founding Partner of Nixxis Turkey.
For more information on the company’s recent expansion or to learn more about their offerings, please visit Nixxis’ website.
Enghouse Interactive Completes More than 450 Deployments on Microsoft Skype for Business
Enghouse Interactive, a leading provider of customer contact solutions and services, reported that it has successfully completed more than 450 contact center deployments on Microsoft Skype for Business. The company currently provides a full omni-channel communications experience for Skype for Business customers, both on-premise and in the cloud. Its solutions also leverage native integration to Skype for Business, using Microsoft-endorsed APIs and trusted conferences.
In addition to reinforcing its position as a leader Microsoft Skype for Business contact center partners, Enghouse Interactive says this milestone also represents the company’s mission to offer solutions that provide added value to Microsoft’s communication platform. “"Skype for Business has ushered in a new era of unified communications," said John Cray, Vice President for Product Management at Enghouse Interactive, in a release. "Enghouse has been a member of the Microsoft Partner Network for more than a decade, and we continue to work alongside Microsoft to provide organizations worldwide with the resources and expertise they need to take full advantage of Skype for Business as the next-generation of communications technology."
Learn more about the company’s suite of contact center solutions by visiting Enghouse Interactive’s website.
Mitel, Toshiba UC Complete Deal
After its surprising announcement earlier this year that it is exiting the North American telecommunications market, Toshiba has finally sold off some of its assets, inventory, and support obligations from its Unified Communications business to Mitel (Nasdaq:MITL) (TSX:MNW), the worldwide leader in enterprise communications. The announcement follows the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two companies in May.
In a release, the company said that all product and services agreements with Toshiba customers and partners have been transferred to Mitel effective immediately. It has also been announced that key group of Toshiba sales, support, and R&D employees will also join Mitel to ensure businesses continuity and deliver support to existing Toshiba customers.
“In a rapidly changing and opportunity rich technology landscape, Mitel is helping customers find a seamless path forward whether in the cloud, on premise or a hybrid of both,” said Rich McBee, CEO of Mitel. “We are excited to officially welcome Toshiba customers, partners and employees to the Mitel family.”
For Toshiba customers and channel partners who want to transition to Mitel with ease, please visit Mitel’s website.