DALLAS-The number of players in the paging industry continues to shrink with Paging Network Inc.’s latest series of acquisitions.
PageNet recently paid $6 million for the transmission network and operating paging assets of Page Florida, operated by Chicago Communications Service Inc. The Page Florida deal includes local and regional frequencies in Florida and contributes about 17,000 units to PageNet’s subscriber base.
For an undisclosed amount, PageNet acquired certain assets of SNET Paging Inc. and its subsidiary TNI Associates Inc. SNET and TNI have provided local and regional service to about 115,000 subscribers, about 70,000 in TNI’s New Jersey and metro New York regions and 45,000 in SNET’s Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York territories. PageNet bought TNI’s network related assets and customer accounts and assumed service for its subscribers. SNET Paging will continue to operate as a separate entity and resell PageNet’s paging services.
PageNet also closed a $20 million deal to acquire PageAmerica Group Inc., which includes the transmission network and operating assets of PageAmerica’s Florida and California subsidiaries, endowing PageNet with 77,000 new subscribers. In both states, PageNet will acquire a statewide 900 MHz frequency and several wide-area frequencies. The paging giant had announced a definitive agreement to acquire PageAmerica last February.
