As the rural telco arena begins to divide into camps of buyers and sellers in pursuit of consolidation, it appears that Consolidated Communications, based in Matoon, Ill., is more likely to be a buyer. Of course, just because "Consolidated" is in your name doesn't mean you need to rush into consolidation activities.
There do not appear to be any imminent deals for Consolidated, but The Daily Deal reports that the CEO of the firm, which acquired North Pittsburgh Telephone Co. last year, suggested at an investment conference that the company would "lean toward being a buyer" in an environment of increasing consolidation.
With Frontier Communications set to buy rural lines being spun off by Verizon Communications, the market is on the lookout for the next deal, as well as the most obvious buyers and sellers.
For more:
- The Daily Deal has this report [1]
Related article
Consolidated Communications has continued to grow its IPTV base [2]
Links:
[1] http://www.thedeal.com/dealscape/2009/05/consolidated_could_join_rural.php
[2] http://www.fierceiptv.com/story/consolidated-comms-grows-iptv-base/2009-05-08