Integra Telecom

About Integra Telecom

In 1996, founders Dudley Slater and Ted Berns started Integra Telecom, not by building from scratch, but through an acquisition of a small local provider in Oregon. Their strategy was clear: become a competitive local exchange carrier, or CLEC, owning and operating their own fiber network to offer a better choice for businesses than the incumbent Bell companies. The company grew steadily, but the real playbook was aggressive M&A. In 2006, Integra doubled its size by acquiring Electric Lightwave from Citizens Communications, and then did it again in 2007 with the purchase of Eschelon Telecom. This rapid expansion was fueled by significant capital, including a massive $617 million funding round in 2009 led by major investors like Goldman Sachs. This capital allowed Integra to build a substantial fiber optic network across eleven western states. The company’s focus was on providing fiber-based services like data networking, voice, and cloud services directly to businesses. A pivotal moment came in late 2016 when the company, which had rebranded its parent entity to Electric Lightwave, was acquired by Zayo Group for $1.42 billion. This deal marked the end of Integra’s journey as an independent operator but was a testament to the value of the network it had assembled. The acquisition gave Zayo a dense fiber footprint in key western US markets, solidifying its position as a major national infrastructure provider. The Integra and Electric Lightwave assets were later integrated with Zayo's Canadian voice business under the Allstream brand.