Thursday May 27, 9:20 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: PRIMUS Telecommunications Group, Incorporated
PRIMUS Telecommunications Announces Acquisition of German ISP
MCLEAN, Va., May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- PRIMUS Telecommunications Group, Incorporated (Nasdaq: PRTL - news), a global facilities-based telecommunications company, announced the acquisition of leading independent German Internet Service Provider (ISP) TCP/IP GmbH, operator of the Contrib.Net Internet backbone. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
For PRIMUS, and its newly formed Internet/data subsidiary iPRIMUS.com, this acquisition will add a strong base of business ISP customers in Germany, link TCP/IP GmbH's advanced Internet network infrastructure into PRIMUS's world class global network, and permit the rapid deployment of advanced data services and other products in Germany.
''With the acquisition of TCP/IP GmbH, PRIMUS will be able to offer existing and potential German customers a bundled package of long distance services, high-speed Internet access and data services,'' said Dr. Norbert Posch, Chief Executive Officer of PRIMUS Germany. ''We were attracted to TCP/IP for its unparalleled retail brand recognition in the German market, business customer base, technological leadership and highly qualified staff,'' he continued.
''The German Internet/data market is massive and growing rapidly, and we found a strong partner in PRIMUS to support and complement our initiatives to capitalize on this opportunity,'' said Sascha Zumbusch, Chief Executive Officer of TCP/IP GmbH. ''This acquisition is an excellent opportunity to offer our customers direct access to one of the most extensive and advanced communication networks in the world.''
''This acquisition marks another step in PRIMUS's strategy to offer retail customers in our eight major markets around the world one-stop shopping for bundled voice, data, Internet and cellular services,'' said K. Paul Singh, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PRIMUS Telecommunications Group. ''Through iPRIMUS.com, we currently offer Internet services in Australia and Canada. Now we can add Germany to the list of countries where iPRIMUS.com will conduct operations as a rapidly expanding global ISP. The common link to these operations is PRIMUS's unique global fiber and satellite broadband network.''
The founders and former owners of TCP/IP GmbH, Heiko Blume and Sascha Zumbusch, along with their specialized technical and sales/marketing staff, will remain with the company.
About TCP/IP GmbH
TCP/IP GmbH is an ISP with its own backbone (Contrib.Net), 11 nodes, network centers throughout Germany, as well as server housing facilities in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Hamburg, Hannover, Erfurt, Mannheim and Munich. Currently, TCP/IP GmbH offers customers a broad range of products and services for the professional use of the Internet. These include consulting, Virtual Private Networks (VPN), dial up access, fixed lines, server housing, E-Commerce solutions and web design. TCP/IP GmbH is a member of the iPass Alliance, a worldwide network of ISPs providing Internet roaming services in 3,000 cities for local dial-up access. Further company information is available at tcpip-gmbh.de; contrib.net. |
