Effective immediately, TelSN will be consolidated into Primus Canada, a wholly owned Primus operating subsidiary, establishing the only telecommunications carrier in Canada to offer services in every segment. Primus Canada now offers local, long distance and international voice, data and Internet services to over 650,000 residential and business customers throughout Canada. Primus Canada is simply taking advantage of what the Canadian government anticipated for its telecommunications market when deregulation was ushered in. Even more compelling for Primus Canada customers and those seeking improved telecommunications alternatives is our ability to deliver quality services over the Primus low-cost platform.
Customers sign up for annual contracts and have complete telephone number portability.
Teaming up with Primus offers the most opportunities to our employees and customers. With Primus, we will be able to expand the services provided to our loyal customer base and ensure ourselves a place with an entrepreneurial carrier poised to significantly increase its market share in Canada. Primus first entered the Canadian market in 1997 through an acquisition that provided domestic and international direct dial long distance services to approximately 15,000 residential customers and 5,000 businesses in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. In February 1999, Primus acquired GlobalServe Communications , a privately owned Internet service provider based in Toronto and one of Canada's largest independent providers of Internet solutions. GlobalServe, which began operation in 1995, has approximately 30,000 residential and corporate customers and operates a network with switches in 15 metropolitan areas, capable of providing coverage to 80 percent of Canada's urban population.