M2 Group Ltd was an Australian retailer and wholesaler of

telecommunications Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...

services as well as power, gas and insurance products. On 5 February 2016, M2 Group Ltd merged into

Vocus Communications Vocus Group Limited, formerly known as Vocus Communications, is an international telecommunications company headquartered in North Sydney, Australia. Founded by James Spenceley as a wholesale, business, government and consumer telecommunicati ...

History

Established in 1999, M2 Group Ltd (“M2”, ASX: MTU) was a provider of a range of communication,

utility As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosopher ...

and insurance services to Australian households and small businesses. Headquartered in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, M2 had more than 3000 employees in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. At M2's 2013 Annual General Meeting, shareholders voted to change the company's name from M2 Telecommunications Group Ltd to M2 Group Ltd. M2's business segment included the Commander and Engin brands, offering a suite of traditional and managed voice and data services and equipment.

Consumer division

The consumer segment, under the brands of Dodo and iPrimus, offered Australian consumers telecommunications services, energy and insurance

Wholesale division

Through the M2 Wholesale division, the firm provides wholesale fixed line, mobile and data telecommunications services to small and medium-sized telecommunications service providers and Internet Service Providers. M2 was named by BRW Magazine as one of Australia's 100 fastest-growing companies five times between 2003 - 2008, and in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 eight times between 2004 and 2013.

Acquisitions

The company had made several acquisitions, and maintained a diverse portfolio of brands across a range of market segments. *In 2005, it acquired Protel Communications, a small provider of broadband and telephony services. *In 2007, it acquired Wholesale Communications Group, Tenex, Southern Cross Telecommunications and Orion Telecommunications. *In 2008, it acquired Unitel Pty Ltd and agreed to purchase People Telecom. *In 2009, M2 acquired selected strategic assets of Commander Communications. *In 2012, M2 acquired Primus Telecommunications for $192 million. *In 2013, the company announced its planned acquisition of

Dodo The dodo (''Raphus cucullatus'') is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius, which is east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The dodo's closest genetic relative was the also-extinct Rodrigues solitaire. The ...

for $204 million, and

Eftel Eftel Limited is an internet service provider and telecommunications provider in Australia, with approximately 120,000 active accounts. It was established in 1999. Eftel offers a range of services including: DSL and dial-up Internet access, web ...

(which included the aaNet, Engin and

ClubTelco ClubTelco is an Australian Telecommunications and Internet Service Provider founded in 2010, that provides telecommunications services to consumers and small businesses around Australia. Competing with the likes of Telstra, Optus, iiNet, Dodo an ...

brands) for $44 million. *In 2015, M2 acquired

CallPlus CallPlus was a telecommunications company providing phone, calling, internet, mobile and advanced connectivity services to New Zealand businesses. Since 2016, CallPlus has been part of the Vocus Group, which is the third-largest telecommunications ...

and 2Talk for NZD$250 Million.

Merger

On 28 September 2015, it was reported that M2 Group and

would merge to create the 3rd largest and 4th largest telecom company in New Zealand and Australia respectively. The resulting company was estimated to be worth US$1.4 billion. After the completion of the merger, M2 CEO Geoff Horth will remain the Chief Executive of the successor group and M2 shareholders will gain a 56% ownership of the new entity. As of 5 February 2016, M2 Group Ltd and Vocus Communications Limited obtained the final court approval to proceed with the merger of the two companies and now trades on the ASX under Vocus.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Companies based in Melbourne Telecommunications companies of Australia Internet service providers of Australia Financial services companies established in 1999 1999 establishments in Australia