Global voice-over Internet protocol wholesaler iBasis acquired international wholesale voice carrier KPN Global Carrier Services to offer enhanced messaging and content distribution services for mobile operators.

Through its acquisition of the Royal KPN N.V. subsidiary, iBasis will offer Mobile Matrix, a portfolio of offerings for mobile operators that includes SMS and MMS messaging and transport, 3G video, mobile IP interworking and roaming services.

"Clearly, mobile communication is a dominant channel for reaching individuals and forming social networks," said Chris Ward, senior director of marketing communications for ibasis, Burlington, MA. "The Mobile Matrix is designed to enable mobile operators to provide a full suite of mobile data services seamlessly and efficiently through a single connection to iBasis."

Already a leading provider of prepaid calling services and mobile data services for North American operators such as AT&T, Verizon and Yahoo, the KPN Global Carrier Services merger gives iBasis customers access to premium mobile services for traffic in other regions.

"KPN Global Carrier Services has a highly complementary customer base, footprint and product portfolio with strengths in mobile services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which fits well with iBasis' strengths in VoIP and footprint in the Americas and Asia," Mr. Ward said.

In addition, KPN customers will benefit from broader and more cost-efficient termination capacity as a result of the merger.

KPN Global Carrier Services is a Dutch fixed-line and mobile telecommunications company including both 2G and 3G mobile operations. Since its founding in 1996, iBasis has provided international call termination services for KPN and its KPN Mobile, E-plus and BASE retail brands. It also services many other large carriers such as Vodafone, China Mobile, IDT, Qwest, Skype and Telefonica.

"These companies are physically connected to the iBasis network and they send iBasis international calls that they can't carry themselves," Mr. Ward said. "Using iBasis facilities and the Internet and our connections to service providers in more than 100 countries, we complete those calls."

IBasis charges customers a per-minute rate that is dependent on the destination. The company pays service providers in the destination countries to deliver the calls to a land-line or mobile phone.

"Our network infrastructure uses a variety of equipment from vendors like Cisco and NexTone to convert calls into IP packets and then back again into the format required by traditional phone networks," Mr. Ward said.

IBasis intends to become the largest carrier of international voice traffic in the world. The company anticipates that as more telecommunications companies focus on providing non-traditional services they will choose to outsource their international traffic.

"There will be continued consolidation in the international voice business," Mr. Ward said. "IBasis is extremely well positioned to take advantage of these trends."