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News Releases
New Edge Networks Acquires West-Net to Accelerate Plans for Offering Advanced Broadband Services
VANCOUVER, Wash. – (Nov. 8, 2000) – New Edge Networks, the leading national wholesale broadband DSL provider in small, midsize and semi-rural markets, has acquired West-Net, Inc., a privately owned data communications network service provider in a stock and cash deal.
The transaction accelerates by six months or more New Edge Networks’ strategic plans for offering advanced virtual private network services such as computer LAN-to-LAN internetworking and wide area networks (WAN). These services will be delivered through New Edge Networks’ national backbone network based on Asynchronous Transfer Mode, or ATM technology. West-Net also provides New Edge Networks a strong revenue stream and an experienced sales and service team.
Keith Rinne, president and founder of West-Net, based in Vancouver, Wash., joins New Edge Networks as president of the newly created WAN services group. Rinne will direct the New Edge Networks’ WAN strategy and oversee day-to-day operations. Rinne becomes a member of the New Edge Networks executive team. He reports to Dan Moffat, president, CEO and co-founder of New Edge Networks.
“West-Net jump-starts our foray into advanced broadband services we want to deliver through our national ATM network,” Moffat said. “We plan to leverage West-Net’s broadband expertise and provide Keith (Rinne) and his team access to resources necessary for quickly building this segment of our business. Having an end-to-end broadband strategy is critical for us becoming a successful broadband services provider.”
West-Net provides service to more than 600 business customers and about 4,000 permanent virtual circuit, or PVC, connections in 22 states. West-Net was founded in 1990 to provide nationwide private line services through wholesale affiliate programs with larger carriers, and has since expanded to build its own frame relay and ATM networks.
“Our agreement with New Edge Networks bodes well for our customers and employees, and we emerge as a stronger broadband services provider,” Rinne said. “We eliminate substantial network costs by using the excess capacity on New Edge Networks’ unique network architecture, and we provide a strong team with vast experience in selling, provisioning and maintaining advanced virtual private network services.”
Existing West-Net customers can expect improved network reliability and faster access to new competitive services in more locations around the country. Monitored around the clock, New Edge Networks’ ATM backbone network has more than 560 nodes, making it one of the nation’s largest. This provides customers faster access and connectivity for all their locations.
Since last December, New Edge Networks has installed broadband DSL network equipment in more than 560 telephone company central offices in 28 states. More than 430 of these sites are now operational for broadband DSL service in more than 260 cities and towns in 21 states. These include Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The company focuses on communities with populations generally under 250,000 people.
About West-Net
West-Net, Inc. offers a full line of interexchange products designed to provide high-performance, low-cost solutions suitable for any size business. Customers include a wide range of small companies to large corporations on the Fortune 500 list. West-Net pioneered the "switchless" frame relay network-to-network interface (NNI) and is the largest switchless provider in the country. The West-Net product line includes the WestFrame and WestCell brands, along with private line services. West-Net's Web site is www.wni.net.
About New Edge Networks
Based in Vancouver, Wash., New Edge Networks was founded in June 1999 to provide wholesale broadband DSL services nationally in small, midsize and semi-rural markets through local, regional and national Internet service providers, communications companies, and other strategic relationships. The company is certified to provide service in 49 states, and is focusing on introducing data service first and later overlaying voice, video and other value add services such as frame relay. The company’s national ATM backbone network currently has more than 560 nodes, making it one of the largest in the country. The company's Web site is www.newedgenetworks.com.
Contact:
Sal Cinquegrani
(360) 906-9723
ATTN: New Edge Networks news releases contain information that is accurate as of the date they are issued. Information contained in past news releases may become out of date and the company does not assume responsibility for updating information contained in past news releases.