C Spire announced plans today to acquire Callis Communications, a fast-growing provider of cloud-based Unified Communications as a Service for businesses.
Based in Mobile, Alabama, Callis serves customers in key business markets across the Southeast and, for the sixth consecutive year, has been recognized as one of the fastest growing telecommunications and cloud communications companies on the Inc. 5000 list.
“For over 25 years, C Spire has built a large and highly loyal customer base with an unmatched focus on providing exceptional service and taking the business needs of its customers personally,” said Dean Parker, President and CEO of Callis. “That core value is what has defined Callis, and it’s why this is a great combination. We are confident our customers will continue to be in great hands as C Spire brings its customer-inspired approach to their business technology and communications needs.”
The acquisition, which requires FCC approval, is the latest in a series of moves by C Spire that signal the company’s accelerated and expanded focus on innovative business, government, and consumer technology solutions. In September, the provider launched the nation’s largest statewide initiative to bring 1 Gbps fiber-based Internet access to homes in nine Mississippi cities and last month the company broke ground on a new $20 million Tier III+ data center in Starkville, Miss., which will power a full suite of enterprise cloud services and solutions for businesses across the Southeast region.
“Like C Spire, Callis has a highly experienced team with a long tradition of serving its customers with excellence, making this a winning combination,” said Hu Meena, President and CEO of C Spire. “In addition to the cloud-based solutions available today, we plan to provide a greatly expanded and comprehensive suite of world-class cloud based computing and enterprise application solutions from our new state-of-the-art tandem of data centers.” C Spire expects final regulatory approval of the merger within the next 60 days.
Started in 1999 as a paging provider, Callis became a facilities-based competitive local exchange carrier and Internet service provider in 2005, delivering private branch exchange service and IP based solutions to small and medium sized businesses throughout the Gulf Coast region. In 2009, Callis became a cloud-based unified communications company, providing hosted private branch exchange services, cloud-based telephony, data, security, email and collaboration solutions throughout the Southeast. The company is one of the founding members of the Cloud Communications Alliance, an industry peer association dedicated to fostering the growth and innovation of cloud communications.
