January 30, 2006 Richmond, VA -- CLEC Cavalier Telephone announced that it has completed the acquisition of Elantic Telecom. Elantic Telecom, formerly known as Dominion Telecom, operates an 8,200 route mile fiber-optic network connecting all major cities in the eastern United States.
"Integrating the Cavalier and Elantic fiber networks will ensure our customers have access to the fastest and most reliable telecommunications network on the east coast," comments Brad Evans, Cavalier's CEO. "Cavalier plans to utilize the Elantic network to expand its retail presence."
Elantic provides fiber-optic, voice, and data services to wireless, long distance, government, and large enterprise customers throughout its 24-state footprint. The carrier's fiber network connects over 52 major cities in a self-healing fiber ring design; the network reaches west from Chicago, and north through New York, expanding down the East coast and south to Wilmington, North Carolina.
According to a press release, over $1 billion dollars was invested to create the Elantic network footprint; the network is equipped with the latest in Internet Protocol and SONET technology, capable of handling millions of simultaneous voice and data calls. The network also includes former Telergy assets that were deployed throughout many metropolitan areas in New York state; the network's largest concentration of fiber is in Virginia, where fiber rings encircle much of the state.
Cavalier already owns a 3,000 mile fiber network with metropolitan fiber rings in major cities throughout the Mid-Atlantic area. For the past 18 months, the company has been providing management, engineering, and operating support to Elantic through a management services agreement. Cavalier says it has added over 50 employees to support Elantic's needs.
As a result of the acquisition, Cavalier says its existing 35,000 business customers will benefit from an advanced array of city-to-city fiber services not previously available, including Gigabit Internet service, video conferencing, and multi-office data networking.
Cavalier says the acquired network will also play a pivotal role in its IPTV initiative.