Norwich-based Eastern Telephones Limited, commonly known as Eastern Voice and Data, has been successfully acquired by business telephone systems provider 4Com.
Eastern Voice and Data has 30 years of experience successfully delivering telecoms services to a range of private and public sector organisations, predominantly near their Norfolk head office.
Gary Scutt is CEO of 4Com, which is based in Bournemouth and specialises in phone systems for SMEs. He said: “We talk to a lot of companies as part of our acquisitions process, and from the outset we were impressed with how the team at Eastern have grown their business. As with our acquisition of Midshire Telecom, there is a tremendous amount of opportunity here, and we’re looking forward to welcoming them into the 4Com Group.”
John Pennington, Director at Eastern Voice and Data, added: “We are extremely proud of the reputation that we have forged in the industry. On behalf of the Directors, I’d like to thank our incredibly talented team for their hard work in helping us to reach this point.”
Fellow Eastern Voice and Data Director, Russell Marriott, added, “We’ve been impressed with the diligence, patience and support that 4Com have shown throughout this process. From the outset, they’ve been upfront and honest with us, and supported us as a smaller business to help both parties reach the desired goal.”
Dean Cartledge, 4Com’s Chief Operating Officer, discussed the process around this and other acquisitions at 4Com.
“We understand that deciding to sell a business can be an emotional process. The team at Eastern have grown the company from its infancy to its current profitable, well-regarded state, so we were particularly pleased to be able to assist them throughout our discussions to reach a deal that worked for all parties. We believe in being up-front and honest in our communication with potential acquisitions, and that’s been crucial in completing this deal with John, Russell, and the team at Eastern.”
Gary added, “Following on from the successful acquisition of Midshire Telecom in May, we wanted to continue to supplement our growth by acquiring other suitable companies. We are delighted to conclude this deal with Eastern Voice and Data, and we’re keen to talk to other telecoms companies who might be considering either selling their entire business, or part of their customer base.”
Eastern Telephones Ltd was established in 1992 and provides telecoms services to a variety of private and public sector organisations. They offer advice on telecoms, copper and fibre cabling, computer / telephony integration (CTI) and IT provisioning and support. From their Head Office in Norwich, they cover the whole of the UK and supply equipment from global tech companies like Panasonic, Excel, Gamma, Zyxel and Samsung.
