Sydney-based ISP Comcen buys Gippsland ISP, Australis

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 29 June 2010 14:10

IT Industry - Deals

Sydney-based ISP Comcen - with a nationwide customer base - has acquired Australis - a regional ISP serving the Gippsland region, and says it is looking for more acquisitions.

According to Comcen, "Australis was one of the first regional ISPs to service the people of the Gippsland area and it has a rich history of being a leader in offering Internet services to regional Victoria." (the company has no connection with the pay TV service of the same name).

Comcen was established in 1996 and also operates the Spin ISP brand. Comcen marketing manager, Bill McArthur, told iTWire that Spin was focussed on residential customers and Comcen on business, and that the company had decided that Comcen, rather than Spin, would acquire Australis, which he said had a mix of business and residential customers.

He said the Australis brand would be retained for the foreseeable future, as it is well known in the Gippsland region. He declined to provide any information on Australis or Comcen's customer numbers.

In addition to Internet access, Comcen offers mobile broadband by reselling Optus services, co-location, web hosting, VoIP and business services such as 13/1300 numbers. McArthur said; "We believe there is a good opportunity to offer voice services to Australis customers."

He added that Comcen was on the lookout for further acquisitions "Currently in the marketplace the larger industry players are focused on [acquiring] the bigger companies. We as a mid-sized firm feel there is a niche in [acquiring]small to mid-sized firms that may be looking for an exit strategy."