Windstream stays out of the large M&A fray

While Frontier and CenturyTel have engaged in multi-billion dollar merger [1] and acquisition [2] deals, Windstream has yet to make a major move. The service provider seems content to acquire smaller telcos, and its $141 million acquisition of Lexington, N.C.-based Lexcom, which has 23,000 access lines, is another example of that trend.

A recent Telephony blog post suggests that Windstream perhaps has been eclipsed by fellow telcos CenturyLink and Frontier, which bought the former EMBARQ [3] and Verizon's rural ILEC lines [1], respectively. While the major CenturyTel and Frontier deals came about, Windstream went out and bought much smaller Pennsylvania-based D&E Communications this past spring. Although it's possible that Windstream could have been courting Frontier, CenturyTel or even EMBARQ, analysts think these service providers will have their hands full with integrating the network assets and operations of these companies into their respective folds.  

For more:
- see this blog post at Telephony [4]