UNITY — An Idaho-based firm has accomplished its buy of UniTel, a longstanding regional telecommunications enterprise primarily based in Unity, in line with a joint information launch issued by the 2 firms.
UniTel places of work will stay in Unity and “all the unique staff will keep in place” in order that there’s no interruption in service, in line with the discharge, which was issued final week.
Capital raised from the sale to Direct Communications will enable UniTel to improve and broaden its broadband community within the area by specializing in extending fiber optic cables.
The 2 firms are related in that they’re each family-owned and concentrate on rural areas, KaLee Ralphs, advertising supervisor for Direct Communications, mentioned Monday.
“With the ability to merge with an organization that has a extremely related construction and values to our personal, it makes us a extremely good match,” Ralphs mentioned. “Plus it comes with nice staff and an superior foothold in Maine as properly.”
The acquisition happened as a result of the earlier proprietor of UniTel, Laurie Osgood, was able to promote the corporate and located a accomplice in Direct Communications, Ralphs mentioned.
The phrases of the sale weren’t disclosed.
Direct Communications has its headquarters in Rockland, Idaho, within the southeastern nook of that state, and was based in 1954.
The 2 firms introduced in November that they had been in acquisition talks.
The purpose is to get fiber-to-the-home entry for as many purchasers and residents in UniTel’s service space as attainable, Ralphs mentioned. Direct Communications has already achieved related work with an organization in Louisiana, she mentioned.
About half of UniTel’s clients now have fiber optic connections, Ralphs mentioned. Fiber is a superior expertise for high-speed web entry as a result of it has the identical add and obtain speeds and every residence has its personal connection so speeds is not going to gradual if too many individuals in an space are linked on the similar time.
“Fiber presents a lot extra worth due to the symmetrical speeds and since the connections aren’t shared,” Ralphs mentioned.
Penny Picard Sampson, a member of the Unity Board of Selectmen, mentioned she sees the acquisition as a chance for the city to broaden fiber optic entry and function a attainable financial driver by attractive individuals to maneuver to extra rural areas as soon as fiber is on the market.
“I believe it’s an amazing plan to make fiber obtainable all through the city,” she mentioned.
The Unity Financial Growth Committee was scheduled to fulfill this week with representatives from UniTel to debate the enlargement of fiber entry on the town, which will probably be funded by grants, non-public funding and probably a few of Unity’s tax increment financing, or TIF, cash.
Karla Frederick, vp of Maine operations at UniTel, mentioned the 20 full-time and 5 part-time staff of the corporate are excited concerning the transition and deliberate enlargement of the fiber optic community.
“We’re excited to broaden our fiber attain and provide our clients greater velocity packages and quicker web,” she mentioned.
UniTel was based in 1902 and supplies telecom companies to clients within the cities of Albion, Burnham, Dixmont, Knox, Newburgh, Thorndike, Troy, Unity and different surrounding areas, in line with the corporate.
Bert Clifford turn into a majority proprietor in UniTel in 1963, when it was generally known as the Unity Phone Firm. He’s credited with modernizing the corporate and making it a profitable operation within the digital age.
Clifford and his spouse based the philanthropic Unity Basis and in addition helped set up Unity Faculty, to which they gifted the Unity Centre for the Performing Arts.
Clifford died in 2001 and UniTel’s belongings handed to the Unity Basis. Osgood bought the corporate in 2013 after serving as president and CEO since 2003.
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