SureWest Communications to acquire Everest Broadband

December 7, 2007 - SureWest Communications, a US independent telco that recently launched its own IPTV service, has announced that it has taken over Everest Broadband, a provider of data, video and data services to the greater Kansas City area, for $173mn.

The transaction is expected to be closed by the end of the first quarter of 2008, and will more than double SureWest’s triple-play residential subscriber base and aid rapid expansion of its business services. 

“Over the past two years, we have made great strides in transforming SureWest into a premier triple-play provider that delivers a superior customer experience,” said Steve Oldham, President and CEO of SureWest.  “The Everest transaction significantly accelerates our growth and geographic diversification strategy by adding Everest’s rapidly expanding customer base in the greater Kansas City area to our northern California service territory.  Everest’s advanced infrastructure has made it a leading-edge communications provider boasting superior network bandwidth capabilities in the area it serves.”

The combined company will serve a broader customer base across two comparable areas and together possess over 200,000 revenue generating units (RGUs) in the greater Sacramento (California), Johnson County (Kansas) and Kansas City (Missouri) areas.  This is estimated to include about 95,000 data, 54,000 video and 53,000 voice RGUs, in addition to roughly 117,000 voice access lines.

SureWest Communications reportedly aims to offer 50 high-definition channels on its IPTV platform by the end of this year.