Emerging Markets Communications to acquire MTN

The combined entities bring together experienced professionals in the remote communications industry, servicing land and maritime-based customers, with a transformative suite of network products and services for businesses and people.

EMC said the acquisition will benefit the organizations’ combined 1,600 vessels and more than 8,000 land-based customer sites. Customers will represent multiple verticals, including maritime, energy, cruise lines and ferries, yachts, non-governmental organizations, telecommunications providers, global enterprises and governments.

The combined entity will be one of the largest independent providers of satellite connectivity services for both land-based sites and maritime vessels worldwide. It also will be the largest provider of connectivity services in some of the most strategic verticals within the satellite industry, backed by ABRY Partners, a private equity firm specializing in funding some of the most successful communications companies in North America, with more than $42bn of completed transactions.

'Our vision is to create the next generation mobility platform offering the most reliable, secure and cost-effective connectivity solutions for people and businesses on-the-move—and in far reaching places on land and at sea—and the acquisition of MTN makes this vision a reality,' said Abel Avellan, founder and ceo of EMC.

'We are bringing together two global communications leaders to meet customers’ unprecedented requirements for land-like connectivity, content and voice services in the world’s furthest reaching corners,' said Mark Walter, president and chief operating officer, MTN. 'Our combined talent, networks and product set will deliver capabilities and scalability no other provider can offer.'

'Since our customers ask for greater speeds and exponentially higher throughput every year, combining into one entity enhances our ability to bring invaluable solutions, with the highest levels of service, for business and mission-critical operations globally,' added Errol Olivier, executive vice chairman, MTN. 'We are excited about the enhanced scale and global resources we will bring in our mission to exceed customer demands.'

EMC’s global infrastructure features 52 field support centers, three wholly-owned teleports and global satellite capacity available in C-Band, Ku-Band and Ka-Band, enabling fast installations and response times for customers worldwide. The company’s value-added services leverage patented technology and have transformed the industry with products such as SpeedNet, a cloud-based browser providing a faster Internet experience over satellite.

MTN provides end-user solutions such as Internet connectivity, voice services, live global TV and mobile apps. Enterprise solutions include crew welfare tools, web portals and video conferencing. MTN also delivers a technical toolkit to customers for management of their own networks and optimization of their bandwidth. Agnostic when it comes to product, satellite frequency and architecture, MTN integrates robust solutions to meet skyrocketing demands.

The agreement is subject to regulatory review and other customary conditions.