# Windstream Holdings

Windstream Holdings, Inc., trading as Windstream Communications is a provider of voice and data network communications to businesses across the United States. Under the Kinetic brand, it offers broadband, phone and digital streaming TV services to consumers within its coverage area. It is the ninth largest residential telephone provider in the country with service covering more than 8.1 million people in 21 states.

## History

Valor Telecom was formed in 2000 to take over GTE Southwest assets that Verizon was selling following its acquisition of GTE.
In 2006, Windstream Corporation formed through the spinoff of Alltel's landline business and merger with Valor.
Alltel Publishing Corporation had begun in 1984 within Alltel and published directories for Alltel wireline, TDS Telecom, KLM and other Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers. Windstream sold the directory business in 2007.
In 2007, Windstream purchased CT Communications for $585 million adding 158,000 access lines and 29,000 broadband customers.
The 2009 acquisition of D&E Communications of Ephrata, Pennsylvania for $330 million added a further 165,000 access lines and 44,000 broadband customers.
The next year's purchase of Iowa Telecom for $1.1 billion added 256,000 access lines, 95,000 broadband customers, 26,000 digital TV customers and a presence in rural Iowa and Minnesota.
In 2010, the company acquired Nuvox, previously formed from a merger of NuVox Communications, NewSouth Communications, FDN Communications, Gabriel Communications and Trivergent Communications.
On August 17, 2010, the company announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Q-Comm Corporation in a transaction valued at approximately $782 million. This includes Q-Comm's wholly owned subsidiaries Kentucky Data Link, Inc. (KDL), a fiber services provider in 22 states and Norlight, Inc., a CLEC primarily serving the Midwest. Both KDL and Norlight are based in Evansville, IN. Q-Comm subsidiaries nGenX and Cinergy Metronet will be spun off as independent companies prior to the close of the deal.
In November 2010, the company announced that it would acquire Hosted Solutions for $310 million. Hosted Solutions is a North Carolina–based managed hosting, cloud and colocation provider with a footprint of five datacenters in Cary, Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina as well as Boston, Massachusetts.
In 2011, the company acquired PAETEC Holding Corp., a Rochester, New York telecommunications company.
After the market closed on Friday April 24, 2015 legacy rural telecom provider Windstream Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: WIN) announced that it had completed the tax-free spinoff of "select telecommunications network assets," into Communications Sales and Leasing Inc. (CS&L). This new CS&L REIT is to trade under ticker symbol (NASDAQ: CSAL). The transaction is also the catalyst for changes in the Windstream dividend and a call for a one-for-six (1:6) reverse stock split. In 2016, Windsteam sold the remaining shares in CSAL.
In 2016, Windstream announced a merger with EarthLink.
On April 13, 2017, Windstream announced that it would acquire Broadview Networks for $227 million.
In 2019, the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York ruled that Windstream had defaulted on bond payments and its stock value fell by 60%. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in response to a judgment against the company for $310 million.
In 2020, Windstream emerged from bankruptcy as a privately held company, having reduced its debt by over $4 billion.
In May 2024, Windstream is in potential talks with Uniti Group to merge, scheduled to close in the second half of 2025, pending regulatory agreements.