Beanfield Technologies enters Montreal via Openface acquisition

Feb. 4, 2020

Openface operates a fiber footprint of 100 km, which connects more than 200 on-net buildings and provides access to more than 3000 near-net buildings.

Stephen Hardy

Canadian fiber-optic network services provider Beanfield Technologies Inc. says it will now serve business and wholesale customers in Montreal thanks to the acquisition of Openface Inc. Terms of the deal for Openface, which provides fiber-based telecommunications services primarily to small and medium-sized businesses and enterprise customers in the city, were not disclosed. Funding for the deal derived from an equity investment from Digital Colony Partners, which took a significant stake in Beanfield last October.

"We are excited to join forces with Openface and expand our presence into Montreal," said Dan Armstrong, CEO of Beanfield. "This acquisition will allow us to meet our customers' growing connectivity needs as data speed and reliability become increasingly critical to business operations. Furthermore, the combined larger business will ensure customers in Canada's two largest markets can access our best-in-class fiber solutions."

Openface operates a fiber footprint of 100 km, which connects more than 200 on-net buildings and provides access to more than 3000 near-net buildings (see "Openface doubles fiber footprint with Zerofail acquisition"). The company also has its own construction and installation team. Openface's employees will join Beanfield, and the company will maintain its current location in Montreal.

Beanfield installs, owns, and operates what it asserts is the largest independent fiber-optic network in Toronto, through which it provides services to more than 700 commercial and residential buildings. "Beanfield shares a number of our core employee values, as well as our belief that customer relationships and employee engagement are the backbone to our business, which makes this transition an ideal next step in our growth," commented Andrew Lassner, CEO at Openface. "I am extremely proud of the growth Openface has had to-date and look forward to watching the company in its next evolution."

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About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.