Business News - News Briefs June 2000

Posted: 06/2000

News Briefs

Grande Communications to Acquire Thrifty Call

Local broadband company, Grande Communications
(www.grandecom.com) has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase the business and assets of Thrifty Call, an integrated network service provider offering wholesale local and long-distance services.

The acquisition includes switches in markets located throughout Texas as well as Atlanta; Indianapolis; Orlando, Fla.; and Seattle and administrative infrastructure needed to implement, provision and maintain local communications services.

The purchase supports Grande’s strategy to build a ground-up deep fiber broadband network to homes and businesses through which it intends to deliver analog and digital cable, local and long-distance telephone, and high-speed Internet access services.

Next Level, PixStream Offer TV Technology

Next Level Communications Inc,
(www.nlc.com), a provider of voice, data and video services, and PixStream Inc.
(www.pixstream.com), a developer of video head-end solutions, are set to provide telephone companies with equipment to offer TV services to their customers through existing copper wire networks using VDSL technology. The two companies are working with Bell Canada
(www.bell.ca), Canada’s largest communications company, to test broadband services to more than 100 customers in a 45-story, 430-unit condominium.

Broadwing, EPIK Commit to Network Exchange

Broadwing Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Broadwing Inc.
(www.broadwing.com), has committed itself to a network exchange with EPIK Communications, a division of the Florida East Coast Railroad. In the deal, Broadwing gets optical fibers along Florida’s eastern coast, and through central and western Florida. In return, Broadwing provides EPIK Communications fiber access from Atlanta to Orlando, Dallas to Houston and access in the Jacksonville area. Broadwing will bring on-fiber access to the metropolitan areas of West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Titusville and Saratoga.

CTIG To Acquire Celltech for $5.25 Million

CTI Group (Holdings) Inc.
(www.ctigroup.com), a provider of software and services for the management of telecommunications systems, has signed a merger agreement with Texas-based Celltech Information Systems Inc., a billing software provider.

The action, in combination with the signing of a merger agreement with Centillion Data Systems
(www.centilliondata.com) in February, brings together three companies addressing processing and billing analysis needs of the telecommunications marketplace. The companies will come together under the CTIG corporate name.

Promotion Site Is Where to Look

Find-a-promotion.com
(www.find-a-promotion.com) provides businesses looking for promotional items an easy-access website for all their promotional needs, including pens, mugs, golf shirts, hats and more.

The site details proven promotional ideas and directs visitors to professionals who can help launch successful campaigns that include promotional products to enhance company impact. Studies show companies using promotional products in marketing efforts achieve much greater industry recognition.

Find-a-promotion.com partners include specialists in corporate promotions, trade show giveaways and brand identity marketing to help businesses create lasting impressions, goodwill and marketplace recognition.

Intelliswitch, Aplio Announce Interoperability

IntelliSwitch Inc.
(www.intelliswitch.com), a provider of Internet telephony solutions, has teamed with Aplio Inc.
(www.aplio.com), a manufacturer of turnkey technologies for Internet appliances. The deal furthers Intelliswitch’s efforts to integrate with best of breed VoIP edge devices. Intelliswitch has recently taken steps toward simplifying its iSwitch integration with such providers. Interoperable devices range from next-generation wireless phones and
PIMs, to single-line consumer and multiline corporate gateways.

World Access Sells Telco Systems

World Access Inc.
(www.waxs.com), a provider of bundled voice, data and Internet services, has completed the sale of Telco Systems Inc.
(www.telco.com) to BATM Advanced Communications Limited
(www.batm.com) for $260.8 million in cash and 960,000 shares of BATM stock. Telco Systems manufactures network transport and access solutions for telecommunications service providers.
BATM, based in Rosh Ha’ayn, Israel, is a data communications technology company dealing in next-generation data communications equipment, including edge access devices, multiprotocol switches, fiber-based networking equipment and IP mux switching solutions.