Newborn comms firm eyes speedy growth

Former SpiriTel chiefs back with new comms outfit Six Degrees Group

With channel players seemingly dropping like flies, one ambitious new boy is launching today and aiming to take the mid-market comms space by storm.

The team behind buy-and-build telecoms player SpiriTel has officially taken the wraps off new venture Six Degrees Group, with chief executive Alastair Mills at the helm. The firm, supported by a £60m investment from long-time SpiriTel backer Penta Capital, is founded on the basis of a trio of recent acquisitions: datacentre provider UKSolutions, MPLS specialist NetworkFlow and voice player Protel.

Campbell Williams, group sales and marketing director at the City-based firm, claimed that, while more strategic buyouts are on the cards, Six Degrees has no interest in snapping up swathes of bolt-on customer bases. Mobility could be a focus area for acquisitions, he said.

“The companies [we bought] are growing at 25 to 30 per cent a year. We are looking for companies that are profitable, are growing very strongly, and have a mid-market footprint,” he added.

Six Degrees begins life with four offices - two in London and one apiece in Birmingham and Gatwick - and 80 staff. It currently serves 1,200 customers with an average revenue per user of £3,000 a month. Williams claimed run-rate revenue is at about £25m, with the company aimed squarely at the mid-market.

“Small businesses deal with local resellers and they get a good service,” explained Williams. “Massive corporates deal with the big networks and spend millions of pounds a year with them, and they get looked after. [But if mid-market firms] deal with a big network, they get stuck in queues in a call centre. If you spend £2,000 a month with us, then you will get a lot of love and attention. It’s a personal service from people who genuinely care.”