ATN International

ATN International, Inc. is a publicly traded American telecommunications holding company headquartered in Beverly, Massachusetts. The company was founded in 1995 and was formerly known as Atlantic Tele-Network. Rather than operating primarily as a nationwide consumer carrier, ATN has built its business around geographically dispersed, underserved, and technically difficult markets, including rural areas of the United States and island territories and countries in the Atlantic and Caribbean regions. Through subsidiaries and operating companies, ATN provides a combination of wireless, wireline, broadband, fiber-optic, enterprise, and related communications services. Its network portfolio has included digital cellular systems, fixed-line telephone networks, terrestrial fiber, submarine fiber, wholesale wireless capacity, and broadband infrastructure. The company’s operating environments range from plains, deserts, and mountainous areas in the continental United States to island markets where geography, limited scale, and the need for resilient backhaul make communications deployment more complex than in densely populated metropolitan areas. ATN’s United States wireless activities have included Commnet Wireless, which has operated as a regional and wholesale wireless provider in the western United States, and the Viya business in the United States Virgin Islands. In Bermuda, the company has operated mobile services under the One brand. Its international and island-market activities have also included wireline and fiber operations in Guyana through GT&T, as well as earlier wireless operations in Turks and Caicos through Islandcom Wireless. The company’s operations and portfolio have changed over time as it has acquired, integrated, sold, or discontinued businesses. A major expansion occurred in 2010, when ATN acquired selected wireless assets formerly associated with Alltel. The transaction followed Verizon Wireless’s acquisition of Alltel and the regulatory requirement to divest particular properties. ATN operated those assets through Allied Wireless, serving retail subscribers in several rural states. In 2013, AT&T agreed to purchase ATN’s U.S. retail wireless operations conducted under the Alltel brand. The transaction included licenses, network assets, retail locations, and approximately 585,000 subscribers, and was reported at a cash consideration of $780 million. ATN also expanded its presence in the United States Virgin Islands in 2016, acquiring landline and wireless assets from Innovative Communications Corporation after a foreclosure process involving the Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation. The resulting operating company was named Viya, combining the acquired assets under a new operating identity. In the same period, ATN announced the sale of its New England operations in Sovernet Communications and its Independent Optical Network subsidiary to Oak Hill Capital Partners, illustrating the company’s continuing practice of reshaping its portfolio through divestitures as well as acquisitions. The company’s positioning is therefore that of a specialist telecommunications operator and infrastructure owner rather than a mass-market national brand. Its strategy has emphasized operating networks where national carriers may have limited economic incentive to build, combining local market knowledge with ownership or management of wireless, wireline, and fiber assets. ATN remains a listed telecommunications company, with activities spanning the United States and selected international and island markets.

ATN International was established in 1995 and developed as a telecommunications holding company with an emphasis on markets that were rural, remote, geographically separated, or otherwise less attractive to large national carriers. The company was formerly known as Atlantic Tele-Network. Its operating model combined the acquisition and management of communications assets with organic development of wireless, wireline, broadband, and fiber networks. The company’s network footprint has included both terrestrial and submarine fiber infrastructure, digital wireless systems, fixed-line networks, and broadband services. In the continental United States, ATN has operated in areas characterized by long distances, low population density, difficult terrain, or limited carrier competition. Its international activities have focused particularly on island and Caribbean markets, where communications networks depend on specialized infrastructure and reliable connections to external networks. In 2010, ATN expanded its U.S. wireless portfolio by acquiring selected former Alltel assets. The properties were divested as part of the regulatory process associated with Verizon Wireless’s purchase of Alltel. ATN operated the acquired retail wireless business through Allied Wireless, serving customers in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Illinois, Ohio, and Idaho. The transaction gave ATN a substantially larger retail wireless presence in rural parts of the United States. That expansion was later reversed. In January 2013, AT&T announced an agreement to purchase ATN’s U.S. retail wireless operations conducted under the Alltel name. The reported deal covered wireless licenses, network infrastructure, retail stores, and roughly 585,000 subscribers, with a cash value of $780 million. The transaction demonstrated ATN’s willingness to acquire assets when they fit its regional strategy and later divest them when a larger carrier offered a more suitable ownership structure. ATN continued to build its presence in island and international markets. In Bermuda, its mobile business has operated under the One brand. In Guyana, the company has operated wireline and fiber services through GT&T. ATN also operated Islandcom Wireless in Turks and Caicos for a period; that business later became defunct, and its former customers were transferred to the LIME/FLOW operation associated with Liberty Latin America. In July 2016, ATN acquired the Virgin Islands landline and wireless assets of Innovative Communications Corporation through a foreclosure-related transaction involving the Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation. ATN combined the assets under the Viya name, creating an operating company serving the United States Virgin Islands with both fixed and wireless capabilities. The transaction strengthened the company’s position in an island market where integrated network ownership can be strategically important. ATN also reshaped its mainland fiber portfolio in 2016 by agreeing to sell its New England operations in Sovernet Communications and its Independent Optical Network subsidiary to Oak Hill Capital Partners. Completion was expected by early 2017. This divestiture reflected the company’s portfolio-management approach: ATN has not treated every acquired or operated asset as permanent, instead adjusting its holdings according to strategic fit and market opportunity. By operating across wireless, wireline, broadband, enterprise communications, and fiber infrastructure, ATN has maintained a differentiated position within the telecommunications industry. Its principal identity is that of a regional and international infrastructure operator serving niche markets, rather than a single-format consumer mobile brand. The company remains publicly traded under the ticker ATNI and continues to be associated with communications operations in the United States, Bermuda, Guyana, the United States Virgin Islands, and other selected markets.

1. 2016Virgin Islands assets acquired and branded Viya

   ATN acquired Innovative Communications Corporation's Virgin Islands landline and wireless assets and combined them under the Viya operating name.

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2. 2016Sovernet and ION divestiture announced

   ATN announced the planned sale of its New England Sovernet operations and Independent Optical Network subsidiary to Oak Hill Capital Partners.

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3. 2013Alltel retail wireless operations sold to AT&T

   AT&T agreed to acquire ATN's U.S. retail wireless operations, including network assets, licenses, stores, and approximately 585,000 subscribers.

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4. 2010Acquisition of former Alltel assets

   ATN acquired selected wireless assets that Verizon Wireless was required to divest after its acquisition of Alltel and operated them through Allied Wireless.

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5. 2004Operating revenue reported higher

   The company reported that total operating revenue increased 11% to $78.9 million, compared with $70.8 million for 2002. The figures were reported in a March 2004 company update.

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6. 1995Company founded

   ATN International was founded as a telecommunications company and was later known as Atlantic Tele-Network.

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A specialist telecommunications operator focused on rural, remote, island, underserved, and technically challenging markets, offering an alternative to large national carriers through regional wireless, wireline, broadband, and fiber networks.

• Commnet WirelessRegional and wholesale wireless

  Commnet Wireless is an ATN wireless subsidiary serving as a regional cellular and wholesale provider, particularly in western areas of the United States. Its role has included operating wireless infrastructure and providing network access in markets where coverage requirements and geographic scale differ from those of national urban carriers.

• ViyaIntegrated wireless and wireline telecommunications2016

  Viya is the operating identity created after ATN acquired landline and wireless assets in the United States Virgin Islands in 2016. The business combines fixed-line and mobile communications capabilities in an island market, including telecommunications infrastructure and broadband-related services.

• One BermudaMobile telecommunications

  One is ATN's mobile telecommunications operation in Bermuda. It provides cellular services in the Bermuda market and represents the company's international island-market wireless activity.

• GT&TWireline and fiber services

  GT&T is associated with ATN's wireline and fiber operations in Guyana. The business contributes fixed-network, broadband, and fiber connectivity capabilities within the Guyanese telecommunications market.

• Allied WirelessRetail wireless2010

  Allied Wireless operated the former Alltel wireless properties acquired by ATN in 2010. It served primarily rural subscribers across several U.S. states before ATN agreed to sell the retail wireless operations to AT&T in 2013.

• Islandcom WirelessMobile telecommunications

  Islandcom Wireless was ATN's former wireless operation in Turks and Caicos. The business is described as defunct, with former customers transferred to the LIME/FLOW operation associated with Liberty Latin America.

• Sovernet Communications and Independent Optical NetworkFiber and enterprise connectivity

  Sovernet Communications and its Independent Optical Network subsidiary represented ATN's New England communications and optical-network operations. ATN announced their sale to Oak Hill Capital Partners in 2016, with completion expected by early 2017.

• 2016Acquire Innovative Communications assets in the U.S. Virgin IslandsM&A

  Innovative Communications Corporation's Virgin Islands landline and wireless assets became available through a foreclosure-related process involving the Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation.

  What changed. ATN acquired the assets and combined the operations under the Viya name.

  Aftermath. The transaction expanded ATN's integrated fixed and mobile telecommunications presence in the United States Virgin Islands.

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• 2016Sell Sovernet and Independent Optical Network operationsM&A

  ATN reviewed its New England portfolio while continuing to focus on selected regional, island, and underserved communications markets.

  What changed. ATN announced an agreement to sell its Sovernet Communications New England operations and Independent Optical Network subsidiary to Oak Hill Capital Partners.

  Aftermath. The planned divestiture was expected to be completed by early 2017 and reduced ATN's New England operating footprint.

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• 2013Sell Alltel retail wireless operations to AT&TM&A

  After operating the former Alltel properties, ATN agreed to sell its U.S. retail wireless business under the Alltel brand to a larger national carrier.

  What changed. ATN agreed to a cash transaction with AT&T covering wireless licenses, network assets, retail stores, and approximately 585,000 subscribers.

  Aftermath. The sale removed the Alltel retail wireless operations from ATN's portfolio while allowing AT&T to assume control of the associated assets and customers.

  Cash transaction value. $780 million (Announced January 22, 2013)

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• 2010Acquire selected former Alltel wireless propertiesM&A

  Verizon Wireless was required to divest certain Alltel properties as part of regulatory approval for its acquisition of Alltel. The available assets aligned with ATN's focus on regional and rural wireless markets.

  What changed. ATN acquired the selected wireless assets and operated the resulting retail business through Allied Wireless across several U.S. states.

  Aftermath. The acquisition expanded ATN's U.S. retail wireless footprint, but the business was later sold to AT&T.

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• 2016ATN acquires Virgin Islands telecommunications assets

  ATN acquired Innovative Communications Corporation's landline and wireless assets in the United States Virgin Islands following a foreclosure process involving the Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation. The combined operation was named Viya.

  M&A
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• 2016ATN announces sale of Sovernet operations

  ATN announced an agreement to sell its New England operations in Sovernet Communications and the Independent Optical Network business to Oak Hill Capital Partners, with completion expected by early 2017.

  M&A
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• 2013AT&T agrees to acquire ATN's Alltel retail wireless operations

  AT&T announced an agreement to acquire ATN's U.S. retail wireless operations operated under the Alltel brand. The reported transaction included licenses, network assets, retail stores, and approximately 585,000 subscribers for $780 million in cash.

  M&A
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• 2010ATN acquires selected former Alltel wireless assets

  ATN acquired wireless properties that Verizon Wireless was required to divest in connection with its acquisition of Alltel. The assets were subsequently operated through Allied Wireless in several primarily rural U.S. states.

  M&A
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1. ATN International
2. ATN International official website