Rogers boosts Business Solutions division with purchase of Atria

Canadian quadruple-play operator Rogers Communications has entered into an agreement to acquire Atria Networks, an operator of fibre-optic networks in Ontario, for an approximate cash total of CAD425 million (USD417 million) from current owner Birch Hill Equity Partners. Atria’s network spans 5,600 fibre route kilometres and over 3,800 on-net buildings in locations including Ottawa, Cornwall, Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Richmond Hill, Markham, Hamilton, Barrie, Orillia, Peterborough and Vaughan. Atria serves a customer base of over 1,100 clients in the enterprise and public sectors as well as providing wholesale services to carriers. In a press release, Rogers says the purchase of the Kitchener-based company will augment its Rogers Business Solutions portfolio by enhancing its ability to deliver on-net data centric services to small and medium sized businesses within and adjacent to its cable footprint. The closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval, which Rogers expects by the end of the first quarter of 2011.