Internet data usage pushing telecom M&A to highest level since 2000

Skyrocketing Internet data usage is driving the biggest merger and acquisition spree among telecoms and tech companies in a decade, a Wall Street Journal blog item reported.

The item, quoting research firm Dealogic's data, said there have been $406 billion in deals to acquire telco and tech companies in 2015. This trend could match the highest yearly total since 2000 and follows on last year's decade-high mark.

The story also quoted estimates from Cisco that Internet traffic will grow to nearly 168 petabytes—a billion megabytes—per month by 2019.

The most recent deal came when U.S. data center operator Equinix acquired U.K.-based Telecity Group for $3.6 billion.

Eric Schwartz, Equinix's president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, cited "cloud computing, mobile data, Big Data [and] the Internet of Things" for driving global growth.

For more:
- the Wall Street Journal has this blog item

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