Leading pan-European cloud technology provider Firstcom Europe today announced the acquisition
of German telecom provider Vocatel Business Gmbh, its third German acquisition. Firstcom is also
based in Sweden, Denmark, Poland, and the UK where it is headquartered.
The purchase of Vocatel is a further step in the company’s aggressive plans to expand its footprint
through selected countries in Europe. It has seen its revenue increase from £2.5m in 2013 to £31.2m
in 2020 with its strategy of growth through acquisition. Firstcom’s focus has been on promoting cloud
based unified communication products to customers that use more traditional technology.
Over the past 14 years Vocatel has built up a customer base of business customers with telephone
landline connections and data lines. Its headquarters are in Wuppertal, near Dusseldorf, and company
Director Floris Boekel will act in an advisory capacity during the changeover period.
According to Christian Bleakley, CEO of Firstcom Europe, “This is a perfect match for our company.
Vocatel brings a sound base of business customers and has a reputation for prompt and personalised
customer service. We look forward to working hard to transition the Vocatel customer base to the
latest cloud technology with unified communications products. This move will allow customers to
seamlessly use voice, video fax, SMS, and team collaboration, on the one product.
“In revenue terms Germany is our second largest country operation after the UK. Germany has
historically not been an early adopter of cloud technologies; however, we have noticed that the
landscape is rapidly changing, and we are delighted to have a foothold not too far from Dusseldorf
and Essen”.
During the Covid period, the sales of unified comms has accelerated because it has enabled staff to
keep working from home with access to the communication tools they need without interruption.
Collaboration online is now “here to stay for most companies, particularly those adopting hybrid office home working environments”, claimed Bleakley.
In August 2020 Firstcom Europe raised £24.8m from Kartesia for a senior loan facility to refinance its existing debt arrangements and support its ongoing buy and build strategy.
For further details call Tony Robinson 0333 023 7060 or email tony.robinson@firstcomeurope.com
Our website is: www.firstcomeurope.co.uk
About Firstcom Europe
Firstcom Europe provides easy-to-use telecommunications solutions to companies via the ongoing
development of cloud products to enhance business productivity. It operates in five countries
throughout Europe and is a specialist in unified communications.
