Cloud-based unified communications company Alteva LLC is being acquired by Warwick Valley Telephone Co. for about $17 million, the latter company has announced.

The transaction, which the boards of both companies have approved, is expected to close in the third quarter.

Warwick expects the Alteva (News - Alert) acquisition to increase its consolidated revenues by about 30 percent annually. The company – a full service telecommunications company operating in southern Orange County, New York and portions of central New York and northwestern New Jersey – says its three key goals are to strengthen its CLEC platform, leverage its legacy incumbent local exchange carrier business to enhance its competitive position, and improve upon its financial performance by scaling and growing overall operations. The Alteva deal should help Warwick address at least two of those goals. Following the close, Warwick plans to combine Alteva with its CLEC business, USA Datanet.

“This is an extraordinary acquisition that will significantly contribute to our strength and momentum in the marketplace, favorably impact our highly skilled workforce and the services delivered to our customers, and, most importantly, support our mission to deliver value to our shareholders,” said Duane W. Albro, president and CEO of Warwick. “We believe we have found a strong partner in Alteva, a fast growing UC service provider which has a complementary business, a well regarded brand, and shared values that will both benefit from and contribute to WVT’s future success.”

Albro went on to comment on Alteva’s “superior sales and marketing channel with direct and agent sales maintaining national coverage.”

Louis Hayner (News - Alert), Alteva chief sales officer, recently told TMCnet, “In 2003, Alteva started its long venture towards hosted UC by launching its hosted VoIP platform. Alteva’s partners used to solely be from the telephony community – telcom VARS, PBX (News - Alert) resellers, master agents, other friendly service providers, etc. As Alteva  transitioned from providing just hosted VoIP to hosted UC, its channel has expanded to include other cloud and desktop VARs that are currently positioning and selling Microsoft (News - Alert) products, but without an added telephony solution.”

He continued, “Alteva’s channel consists of a lot of legacy and telephony companies, but ever growing is its new brand of partners, which includes cloud companies and desktop solutions providers. Through its UC Sales Certification training course, Alteva is helping both types of partners bridge the gap between their telephony and desktop sales expertise.”

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