Matrix Telecom Inc. plans to buy the customer relationships and assets of Comtel Telcom Assets LP, which operates under the name Excel Telecommunications (News - Alert) Inc., from Denham Capital.

 

Matrix Telecom, a Platinum Equity company, provides voice and data services to small and medium businesses as well as residential customers in the U.S. Denham Capital is an energy and commodities private equity firm. Excel Telecommunications provides integrated voice and data communications to residential, commercial and carrier customers.

 

“By acquiring Excel, we are demonstrating our commitment to making Matrix the highest quality, most affordable choice for wholesale voice services in the telecommunications industry,” says Charles G. “Chuck” Taylor, Jr., president and CEO of Matrix. “This acquisition builds on other recently announced Matrix initiatives to broaden its domestic and international wholesale voice services offering.”

 

“Since Denham’s acquisition of Excel in late 2005, the management team has transformed the company into an attractive platform for future growth,” says Bill Zartler, managing partner and head of Denham's Energy Infrastructure Group. “As with other recent exit transactions Denham has concluded, including the sale of SunRay Renewable Energy and Trinity Coal, Matrix saw the value in the platform that management and Denham created, and is well-suited to take Excel to the next level.”

 

The acquisition, which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2010, is Matrix’s third in the last four years, having successfully integrated the small business group of Global Crossing in 2006 and certain assets of the former Trinsic (News - Alert) Communications in 2007.