Alares completes acquisition of Webby Internet

Por Alares

This is a machine translation of the original press release issued in Portuguese

Alares, an independent operator of telecommunications services that offers Internet access via fiber optics, pay TV, fixed telephony and streaming, announces that it has acquired the São Paulo operator Webby Internet.

This move represents an important milestone in the evolution of Alares, strengthening its presence in the State of São Paulo, and signaling its arrival in the State of Paraná. Webby, based in Ourinhos, has around 115,000 individual and legal clients, in 55 cities in these two states.

Alares CEO, Denis Ferreira, emphasizes the importance of this acquisition: “With Webby, our backbone will reach 25,400 km of network, with a presence in 9 States. Additionally, we reached more than 182,000 customers in the State of São Paulo, which represents an increase of more than 3 times in the State, as well as marking our arrival in Paraná.” With the purchase, Alares will serve more than 627,000 customers in 175 cities, and will have around 2,300 employees and 90 company-owned stores.

The operation is another step in Alares' growth strategy. With Webby, Alares encompasses the operations of 20 small and medium-sized providers that have been acquired and fully integrated into a single fiber optic internet access operator.

Integration

After the acquisition is completed, the integration process will carefully begin. “We will warmly welcome the hundreds of Webby employees, and together we will begin to execute the integration plan between both companies. The systems will be integrated quickly, ensuring quality of service, and we will then work to introduce the Alares brand. Soon, Webby customers will have access to our portfolio of products and services, including streaming, with partnerships such as DGO, Globoplay and others”, adds Denis Ferreira.

“Webby Internet is the market leader in most cities where it operates. Both companies have, in their DNA, proximity to their customers, operating with their own service and maintenance teams and with stores in almost every city. Pioneering spirit and care for customers are characteristics of both companies”, adds Marcelino Cabral, founding partner of Webby Internet, who will become a minority shareholder of Alares.

"Our goal is that in the first months of integration, the cities served by Webby will begin to feel this change positively. We will work together to execute the sales and growth acceleration plan, and we will work on the brand's transition in a careful manner to ensure the better experience for customers”, concludes Denis Ferreira.

The acquisition of Webby was carried out by Videomar, a wholly owned subsidiary of Triple Play Participações, owner of the Alares brand.

About Alares

Alares is an independent telecommunications services operator, which provides high-speed Internet access services, mainly via fiber optics, as well as pay TV, fixed telephony and data. It brings together approximately 1,850 employees and operates in 120 cities in six Brazilian states – São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Ceará and Bahia. It has a network of more than 17,000 km of high-quality optical fiber, with coverage to connect more than 1.9 million homes/businesses, serving around 512,000 customers.

About Webby Internet

Founded by Marcelino Cabral in 2008, Webby Internet has around 450 employees and operates in the southwest region of the State of São Paulo and the north of the State of Paraná. The company is present in 55 cities in both states, has more than 8,400 km of backbone in the states of São Paulo, Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul and Rio de Janeiro, and has coverage to connect around 900,000 homes/businesses, serving around of 115,000 customers.