The recent announcements of CenturyLink acquiring Level 3 and Windstream combining with Earthlink reiterate what we have known for a while: continued consolidation in our industry is inevitable.
Provider mergers and acquisitions are not new to us at Advantage - over the years our team has have been through more than we can count. Over the course of time, some yielded positive results for customers and partners and others that ultimately failed to live up to expectations. Through it all we have learned one huge lesson: there will always be bumps in the road.
Long term, these transactions should enhance the product portfolios and network reach and capacity of the combined entities. But getting to the point where customers reap the benefits can be challenging. Evaluating, integrating, and aligning the people, processes, systems, and product sets of companies this large is a massive undertaking. History, and common sense, tells us that the integration process for deals this size will be lengthy, with unexpected issues arising along the way. How large and how frequent these issues ultimately become are, of course, the big unknowns.
With all these changes one thing is constant - Advantage is here to help. We have been in regular contact with executives at all four companies to understand the implications of these deals going forward. We commit that Advantage will remain on the front lines and proactively keep you updated on any changes that may impact you, functionally or financially, going forward. Our customer care and project management teams are here to help you navigate through any service related challenges that may arise. Also, since Advantage has relationships with over 100 additional service providers, we’re always available to help you investigate, evaluate, and implement alternative solutions if you determine a change is necessary - because at the end of the day, our loyalty is to our customers.
We are optimistic that these transactions will be positive for our customers and partners, yet past experiences warn us that we also need to be prepared. Rest assured that just by working with Advantage your business will always be prepared to move forward confidently…no matter what changes come about.