WaveCrest acquires Interoute wholesale voice business

WaveCrest Communications has acquired Interoute’s wholesale voice operations, freeing up the European voice and data network firm to concentrate on converged IP services for enterprise customers.

“It’s part of a strategy that Interoute has been implementing over the last month or so. It allows us to build out our next-generation voice-over-IP network to provide enterprises and mobile service providers with enhanced services,” said Interoute spokesman Harrison Wise.

Details of the deal were sketchy at best. Wise declined to disclose how many customers are involved or how much money would change hands. WaveCrest, Europe’s largest privately owned wholesale carrier business, acquired Interoute’s operating companies throughout mainland Europe.

“We’re both private companies, so we’re not talking numbers,” he said, calling the transaction price a “significant amount.”

Primarily, he emphasized, the deal was spearheaded by Interoute’s desire to focus on the enterprise and mobile space.

“Interoute isn’t going bankrupt. We’re not liquidating,” he said. “We felt that the provision of wholesale voice services was no longer core to our network, and the provision of enterprise voice services provided a better opportunity and growth for us.”