FairPoint acquires Falmouth communications company

Photo / FairPoint Communications Frank Culkin, left, vice president of sales operations and general manager of alternate channels for FairPoint Communications, joins Sandi Pasalic, president of Communication Technology Inc., whose company was purchased by FairPoint on July 29.

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By James McCarthy

FairPoint Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: FRP) has acquired Communication Technology Inc., a Falmouth-based company providing business communication products and services throughout northern New England, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition closed July 29.

“We’ve been in business for 18 years,” said Sandi Pasalic, CTI’s president, who will remain in that position under the company’s new ownership. “We will continue to operate as CTI and we will continue to support our strong following of customers. We feel we have a bright future together with Fairpoint and that’s the message we’ve conveyed to our employees and our customers.”

In a conference call with Mainebiz, Frank Culkin, vice president of sales operations and general manager of alternate channels for FairPoint, said CTI’s 30 employees will be retained and its offices in Falmouth and Bangor will remain open. He characterized CTI as “best in its class” as a business communications provider in northern New England.

“It’s a natural choice for us to partner with and expand our footprint in that market,” Culkin said. “We saw Sandi as a talented and knowledgeable expert in the field. CTI provides a completely complementary solution set to what FairPoint does today.”

With CTI’s suite of business communication services — which include data networking, cabling infrastructure, voice over internet protocol (VoIP) telephone, and integration of a business’s various communication channels into a unified system — Culkin said FairPoint has expanded its ability to provide “end-to-end solutions” to both companies’ customers. He also said the acquisition will help both companies expand their market share by taking advantage of each other’s strengths and expertise.

“This is a positive and energizing opportunity,” Pasalic said. “FairPoint is recognized as a carrier with an extensive fiber-optic high-capacity network.”

Pasalic said reaction of CTI’s employees and customers has been “overwhelmingly positive” in response to the change in ownership.

Since April 2008, FairPoint has invested more than $900 million in its communications infrastructure and technology to bring broadband to northern New England, including building thousands of miles of new fiber optic network across the region, according to the company’s website, noting that its “new fiber-based, high capacity network offers customers a better, faster way to communicate.”

FairPoint, which is based in Charlotte, N.C., had revenue last year of $859 million, a decline from $901 million a year earlier.

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