ITC Co-Founder and CEO Joseph Spytek said the merged entity would allow his company to provide seamless coverage, service and local support in Africa for mining and mining-related customers. 

   “Spidersat is an outstanding addition to our business and offers us a highly complementary suite of services and resources for enterprise clients throughout Africa,” Spytek said in a statement. “The acquisition of Spidersat comes just months after a significant investment in the company by Riverside Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm, and is part of our global growth strategy. Since the investment by Riverside Partners in January 2012, we have expanded our mining and energy businesses into Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as entered into a long-term strategic partnership in the maritime business with Imtech Marine.”

   Headquartered in Tanzania, Spidersat provides custom networks and bandwidth access to enterprise customers throughout Africa. The company also has additional offices, accredited engineering and support personnel in Ghana and Western Australia. 

   Spidersat Managing Director Mike Hennessey said that ITC Global would inherit a broad range of regional services, including fixed VSAT solutions and mobile satellite solutions, as well as many years of experience of deploying communication solutions within some of the most remote areas of Africa.

   “Our key markets, such as Burkina Faso, Liberia and the DRC, will be highly additive to ITC Global’s already strong Africa footprint, and our local approach to satellite communications will be strengthened under the ITC Global umbrella,” said Hennessey. “I have great respect for Joe and his worldwide team, and we are excited to be part of the next stage of growth."

ITC’s purchase of Spidersat follows the recent completion of its acquisition of the remaining interest in ITC Guinea earlier this month. Spytek said the moves exhibit ITC Global’s commitment to Africa and the value of the satellite communications market serving African mining and resources industries.

   Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.