Simplify the following text for a Grade 14 native English-speaking person.
Original: It previously had operations in other European nations through its acquisition of many smaller European Internet Service Providers ( ISPs ) in the late 1990s , but in subsequent years these have been divested .
Simplified: The company acquired many European Internet Service Providers ( ISPs ) throughout the late 1990s , although in subsequent years many of those assets were sold on to other companies .