Manx Telecom Ltd. () is the primary provider of broadband and

telecommunication Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

s on the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

. It is owned by Basalt Infrastructure Partners LLP.

History

Historically, the telephone system in the Isle of Man had been run as a monopoly by the British General Post Office (GPO), and later British Telecommunications (British Telecom or BT), and operated as part of the

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

telephone district. In 1985, the Isle of Man Government announced that it would award a 20-year licence to operate the telephone system in a tender process. As part of this process, in 1986 British Telecom created a Manx-registered subsidiary company, Manx Telecom, to bid for the tender. It was believed that a local identity and management would be more politically acceptable in the tendering process as they competed with Cable & Wireless to win the licence. Manx Telecom won the tender, and commenced operations under the new identity from 1 January 1987. On 17 November 2001, Manx Telecom became part of mmO₂ following the demerger of BT Wireless's operations from BT Group. It was acquired by Telefónica in . On 4 June 2010, Manx Telecom was sold to UK private equity investor HgCapital (who were buying the majority stake), alongside telecoms management company CPS Partners. HG Capital indicated that the enterprise value of the deal was £158.8 million ($232.5 million). In 2014, it floated on the AIM market. On 9 May 2019 private equity investor Basalt Investment Partners completed their acquisition of Manx Telecom.

Operations

Manx Telecom operates fixed line and mobile networks, and data centres on the Isle of Man. The Global Solutions division operates outside of the Isle of Man through mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) and international roaming agreements. The mobile phone network operated by Manx Telecom had been used by O₂ as an environment for developing and testing new products and services prior to wider rollout. In December 2001, the company became the first telecommunications operator in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

to launch a live 3G network. In November 2005, the company became the first in Europe to offer its customers an HSDPA (3.5G) service.

Principal competitors

* Sure * Wi-Manx * Domicilium * BlueWave Communications

References

External links

*
Telefonica Sells Manx Telecom to Private Equity Groups

Manx Telecom Stronger With New Owners Says CEO
{{BT Group Communications in the Isle of Man Companies of the Isle of Man

History

Operations

Principal competitors

See also

References

External links