Vocus buys stake in MacTel

Vocus Communications has purchased a 14.5 percent stake in managed hosting and telco provider Macquarie Telecom under an equity swap deal valued at $15.6 million.

The data centre and connectivity company today said it had no intention other than to told the stake as a strategic investment.

The stake is also not expected to have a material effect on Vocus's business operations or its financial performance, the company said.

Macquarie Telecom shares rose 11 percent to $5.33 immediately following the announcement, while Vocus' shares fell slightly to $5.95.

It's the latest in a recent series of strategic moves Vocus has made in the market, following its December acquisition of Perth-based rival Amcom Telecommunications for $636 million.

It had raised its stake in Amcom from five to ten percent just prior to the takeover.

The deal created a national telco with assets across the east and west coast, and a combined market cap in excess of $1.1 billion. It also boosted Vocus' customer base from 1550 to 3750.

Vocus followed the Amcon acquisition in February this year with the takeover of Enterprise Data Corporation's (EDC) data centres and operations for $23.5 million.

With Amcom and EDC's data centres now under its control, Vocus boasts a national data centre network of over 20 facilities, a market cap of over $1.1 billion and a customer base of over 3750.