WilTel acquires New England-based Comlink

Williams Telecommunications Systems, Inc. (WilTel) has signed an agreement to acquire Comlink, Inc., a privately-held voice and data systems integrator with annual revenues of $22 million.  Mirus advised the shareholders of Comlink, which has headquarters in Marlborough, Mass.

“We were attracted to Comlink because of their successful model as a provider of voice and data integration services in the New England area,” said Harry Hirsch, WilTel’s president and chief operating officer. “Comlink has captured an impressive market share in a relatively limited geographic market.”

According to Hirsch, Comlink has been successful in addressing a wide range of customer needs, providing voice and data customer-premise equipment and networking solutions, including a major relationship with NYNEX as a business network solutions sales agent. Comlink, established in 1978, has grown every year and twice has been named to Inc. magazine’s “Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies in America.”

“WilTel is a leader in the communications services industry,” said Peter D. Helwing, president of Comlink. “We are excited about this opportunity to be a part of a national organization dedicated to maximizing the value of applied communications technology. Our goal is that together, WilTel and Comlink can replicate the success Comlink has achieved in the New England market on a nationwide basis.”

The Comlink acquisition is expected to add more than 5,000 customers to WilTel’s nationwide customer base in excess of 35,000 customers. In addition, the acquisition will add approximately 120 well-trained and knowledgeable employees to WilTel’s employee base of nearly 3,000.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

As experienced multisystems integrators and distributors of customer-premise data, voice and video equipment, WilTel and Comlink offer a diverse portfolio of products from leading manufacturers, such as Northern Telecom, NEC, Executone, Hitachi, InterVoice, Octel, 3-Com, Cisco, Shiva, Micom, Centigram, Bay Networks, and Newbridge, among others.

WilTel, with headquarters in Houston, offers businesses a full range of communications products and services, including new systems sales, upgrades/enhancements to existing systems, installation, maintenance, facilities management, systems integration, and network design and monitoring services through its more than 100 locations nationwide.

WilTel is one of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE: WMB). Williams’ companies, with headquarters in Tulsa, Okla., include the nation’s largest-volume system of interstate natural gas pipelines; one of the nation’s largest gas gatherers and processors; a full-service energy marketing and trading company; a Midwest petroleum products pipeline; and a nationwide fiber-optic video services provider.