CREWE-BASED company Radius Payment Solutions has bought a majority stake in Dublin-based business telecoms provider Telcom.

The investment in Telcom marks Radius' tenth telecoms acquisition in recent years and its first major purchase in the Republic of Ireland, which Radius says will open new expansion opportunities for both companies to expand their range of services across Ireland and Great Britain.

Telcom was founded in 1999 and owns its own high-speed ISP core network, serving many of Ireland's leading companies and brands, including Fyffes, Savills and Maxol.

Last month, Radius opened a major new Belfast base, accommodating teams from its telco division Radius Connect, fuel cards and telematics which will service customers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Radius owns Irish fuel payment card market leader DCI, which this year marked its 25th year in business.

The new Belfast city centre office, which has more than 130 staff, will also act as a financial hub for Radius Connect in Europe.

Radius CEO Bill Holmes said: "Our successful growth strategy is about making the right connections and I'm delighted as part of our tenth strategic growth acquisition to be working with Telcom as we accelerate our growth plans together, creating new opportunities for expansion and driving new solutions for businesses across the UK and Ireland.

"As old legacy telecommunications become depleted and the ISDN switch-off looms, the future lies in the migration of all voice and data telecommunications on high-speed ISP networks and together we are perfectly poised to take further advantage of this significant transition, helping businesses navigate the challenge by adding value and building capacity for future growth."

Headquartered at Crewe Business Park, Radius Payment Solutions was placed 24th in The Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 100 league table published in 2020.

It was founded in 1990 by CEO Bill Holmes and now has over 2,000 employees in 18 countries spanning five continents, with over 20 offices throughout the UK and Ireland – including Belfast, Dublin, Derry-Londonderry and Galway – and an annual turnover of more than £2.6 billion.

Telcom founder and Chief Technology Officer Liam Tully said: "Telcom are thrilled to partner with Radius at an exciting time of growth of the company. Radius' vision is very much aligned with that of Telcom, and especially with the acceleration of digital transformation where businesses of all sizes will rely more and more on high speed, cost-effective and enterprise class fibre services.

"In line with the investment Telcom have made into our Core Network, this partnership with Radius allows us to achieve our ambitions for growth within the Irish and UK market."

You can read more about Radius, the main sponsor of Crewe Nub News, here.