UK-based Esprit Telecom Group Plc, a independent European telecoms operator, has acquired a Dutch small business-focused telecommunications company, Amsterdam-based Interaktieve Media Services BV. It will be combined with Esprit’s Dutch division Esprit Telecom Benelux BV. The merged company will become one of the largest Dutch phone operators, after the Dutch national telco PTT Telekom Netherlands. The deal is to be made in a mixture of cash and shares, with no details disclosed. Both companies will trade as separate entities until early 1998, and then operate under the Esprit name. IMS is projected to turn over $12m this year and its small business market sector is seen to be a good fit with Esprit’s corporate customers. Esprit has built, and sells capacity on a fiber optic network that reaches 19 cities in western Europe.
