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PRZOOM - /newswire/ -
Geneva, Switzerland, 2010/04/23 - Hospitality Services Plus SA, a fully-owned subsidiary of Swisscom, announced today that it will acquire Wayport Holdings A/S, an AT&T company providing network-based guest services to hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
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The acquisition will strengthen Swisscom Hospitality’s presence in Europe including the Nordic countries, and expand its international footprint to new markets such as Russia and the Middle East.
Wayport Inc., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of AT&T*, is specialized in High Speed Internet Access services and end-to-end network solutions for the international hospitality and lodging industries. Wayport Holdings A/S is the European entity of Wayport, Inc. that focuses on the hospitality market in EMEA. The closure of the deal is pending approval by the competent competition authorities.
Wayport Holdings A/S currently provides about 300 partner hotels in 34 countries with Internet guest services and business center solutions. Among its clients are renowned international hotel chains. Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Wayport Holdings A/S and its subsidiaries are mainly focused on the Nordic countries but also operate across Central and Eastern Europe, including Russia, the Middle East and in some African countries. The company’s market presence, client portfolio and product offering perfectly fit to Swisscom’s hospitality branch which already serves more than 1’800 partner hotels in Europe outside of Scandinavia, plus 200 locations in the United States.
“Through this acquisition, Swisscom aims to further consolidate the hospitality technology market and serve more hotels with enterprise-grade ICT solutions”, says Leo Brand, CEO of Swisscom Hospitality Services. “Hotels worldwide still suffer from a highly fragmented market on the supply side. To stay competitive, they need to standardize their applications and technology platforms and make them scalable while satisfying guests’ rapidly evolving communication and entertainment needs. Chains, in particular, are looking for innovative, reliable and financially strong partners that can meet their geographic expansion plans. The acquisition of Wayport Holdings A/S contributes to our global presence and the scaling of our operations.”
Following the closure of the deal, Swisscom will merge Wayport’s EMEA operations with its own and assume all existing contractual obligations. Adds Leo Brand: “Wayport’s EMEA clients are very important for us. We want to offer them a wider range of hotel and guest services such as Internet services, IPTV over Coax, VDSL or Ethernet, bandwidth management solutions and conference services as well as the option to integrate third-party applications into their IP networks.”
“I am happy to see our company joining forces with Swisscom”, says Ib Drachmann-Hansen, Managing Director of Wayport Holdings A/S. “Swisscom’s technology and client relationships are largely complementary to ours. I am convinced that with Swisscom, we can continue creating additional value for hotels and hotel chains across the EMEA region.”
AT&T will continue to own and operate the former Wayport assets in the United States. Since the acquisition of Wayport in December 2008, AT&T has integrated Wayport into its Wi-Fi network. AT&T has the largest Wi-Fi network in the U.S., with more than 20,000 hot spots.
About Swisscom Hospitality Services
Hospitality Services Plus Ltd, a fully-owned subsidiary of Swisscom (swisscom.com) Ltd, is a leader in converged technology solutions for the global hospitality industry. The company provides IP-based communication and entertainment solutions designed to meet the unique requirements of the world’s finest hotels. The company has more than 2,000 partner hotels in 19 European countries and the United States. Moreover, it provides customized network solutions at more than 10,000 meetings and events every year.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
Media contacts: Jane Newick/Barbara Molnar, The Wordbox Group, T: 01483 562244/07711 611415
Submitted by NeonDrum on behalf of The Wordbox Group
Nicky Denovan / T: +44 7747 017654.
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