Windstream Holdings, Inc., trading as Windstream Communications is a provider of voice and data network communications to businesses across the United States.[4] Under the Kinetic brand, it offers broadband, phone and digital streaming TV services to consumers within its coverage area.
It is [when?] the ninth largest residential telephone provider in the country[5] with service covering more than 8.1 million people in 21 states.[6][7][8]
History
Valor Telecom was formed in 2000 to take over GTE Southwest assets that Verizon was selling following its acquisition of GTE.[citation needed] In 2006, Windstream Corporation was formed through the spinoff of Alltel's landline business and merger with Valor.[citation needed]
In 2007, Windstream Corp. purchased CT Communications for $585 million adding 158,000 access lines and 29,000 broadband customers.[9][10] The 2009 acquisition of D&E Communications of Ephrata, Pennsylvania for $330 million added a further 165,000 access lines and 44,000 broadband customers.[11][12][13]
The next year's purchase of Iowa Telecom for $1.1 billion added 256,000 access lines, 95,000 broadband customers, 26,000 digital TV customers and a presence in rural Iowa and Minnesota.[14] In 2010, the firm acquired Nuvox, previously formed from a merger of NuVox Communications, NewSouth Communications, FDN Communications,[15] Gabriel Communications and Trivergent Communications.[16]
On August 17, 2010, it announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Q-Comm Corporation in a transaction valued at approximately $782 million. This includes Q-Comm's wholly owned subsidiaries Kentucky Data Link, Inc. (KDL),[17] a fiber services provider in 22 states and Norlight, Inc.,[18] a CLEC primarily serving the Midwest. Q-Comm subsidiaries nGenX[19] and Cinergy Metronet[20] will be spun off as independent companies prior to the close of the deal.[21]
In November 2010, Windstream announced that it would acquire Hosted Solutions for $310 million; Hosted is a North Carolina–based managed hosting, cloud and colocation provider with a footprint of five datacenters in Cary, Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina as well as Boston.[22] In 2011, the firm acquired PAETEC Holding Corp., a Rochester, New York telecommunications company.[23]
On October 6, 2014, Windstream, in partnership with Ericsson, announced plans to launch its next-gen TV service Kinetic.[24]
On April 24, 2015, it announced that it had completed the tax-free spinoff of "select telecommunications network assets," into Communications Sales and Leasing Inc. (CS&L). On April 17, 2017, one after selling its remaining shares in CSAL and one after merging with EarthLink,[25][26] the company announced that it would acquire Broadview Networks for $227 million.[27]
In 2019, the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York ruled that Windstream had defaulted on bond payments and its stock value fell by 60%.[28] It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in response to a judgment against the company for $310 million.[29][30] The following year, it emerged from bankruptcy as a privately held company, having reduced its debt by over $4 billion.[31]
On July 24, 2025, one year after beginning merger talks,[32] Windstream and Uniti Group received all necessary approvals to carry out the merger.[33] On August 1, Uniti Group Inc. announced that this transaction had been completed.[34]
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