Asia Netcom, PacNet complete merger

Asia Netcom and Pacific Internet have sealed their merger to become Pacnet, the company said Tuesday.

The new entity is headed by Bill Barney, the former CEO of Asia Netcom, and retains all employees--1,400 in total--from both companies.

Two key office holders, Dennis Muscat and Eddy Kuk, from Pacific Internet have been incorporated into Pacnet's senior management team, and retain their former titles as senior vice president for South Asia and senior vice president of product management, respectively. Wilfred Kwan, formerly Asia Netcom's COO, has assumed the post of executive vice president for operations and technology.

The union between the two companies was first unveiled last year, when Asia Netcom's parent company Connect Holdings announced the acquisition of Pacific Internet.

With the merger, Pacnet will offer a range of products and services targeted at consumers, enterprise and carriers. The company owns the EAC-C2C undersea cable network, spanning some 36,800 kilometers, and has embarked on its next-generation network upgrading efforts.

"Pacnet is poised to be a unique 'pure-play' provider focused on delivering solid communication solutions within Asia, and into the region from anywhere in the world," Barney said in a statement.