2013-03-14 17:53:48 -
Ziggo to acquire Esprit Telecom expanding its business services to the SME
market
Ziggo is further expanding its services for the business market through the
acquisition of Esprit Telecom, a leading provider of voice and data services for
the SME market in the Netherlands. The company has an active sales channel of
dealers across the country. The acquisition includes Zoranet, an ICT service
provider that focuses on the retail sector.
Esprit Telecom is part of the Detron ICT & Telecom Group and will continue to
operate independently, under its own name, for the foreseeable future. The
acquisition is subject to approval by the Dutch Competition Authority (NMa). In
2012, Esprit Telecom generated revenues of €37 million. The acquisition is
valued at €18 million.
Hendrik de Groot, Ziggo's Business-to-Business Managing Director, said: "Our
focus
is on the small business market, where we provide all-in-one business
solutions based on broadband Internet, telephony, TV and increasingly cloud
services. Over the past two years we have successfully grown our small business
customer base by more than 30,000 customers. We experience increasing demand
from the SME market for our products and services. The acquisition of Esprit
Telecom, which has a loyal customer base and operates nationwide, will enable us
to accelerate our services provision to the SME market. Together with Esprit
Telecom, we will invest in new cloud based business services, including a new
portfolio telephony services, designed for both small businesses and the SME
market. We also see interesting synergy opportunities, including upgrade to our
next generation broadband network, enabling SMEs to be securely connected to the
cloud."
About Ziggo
Ziggo is a Dutch provider of entertainment,
information and communication through
television, Internet and telephony
services. The company serves around 2.9 million
households, with almost 1.8 million Internet
customers, more than 2.2 million
customers for digital television and 1.5 million
telephony subscribers. Business-to-business
customers use services such as
data communication, telephony, television and
Internet. The company owns a next-generation
network capable of providing the
bandwidth required for all future services
currently foreseen. More information on Ziggo
can be found on: www.ziggo.com
About Esprit Telecom
Esprit Telecom was founded in 1993, and provides
voice and data services to the SME market in the
Netherlands. The company has 5,000 clients and
an extensive sales channel of 150 resellers and
account managers. It is located in Almere, and
has 75 employees. Zoranet became a part of
Esprit Telecom in 2011. It is a business IT
service provider that focuses on the retail
sector, with sales driven through resellers and
account managers. Located in Zwolle, the company
has 23 employees.
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Not for publication
For more information please contact:
Media Analysts and Investors
Erik van Doeselaar Wouter van de Putte
Sr. Media Relations Officer Director Corporate Finance & Investor
+31 (0)88 717 4134 | Relations
erik.vandoeselaar@office.ziggo.nl +31 (0)88 717 1799 |
investorrelations@office.ziggo.nl
Esprit Telecom:
Karl Heinz van der Made Christian Berghout
Director Manager Corporate Finance & Investor
+31 (0)6 13001500 | Relations
karlheinz.van.der.made@detron.nl +31 (0)88 717 1051|
investorrelations@office.ziggo.nl
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Source: Ziggo via Thomson Reuters ONE
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