Cavalier Telephone announced today that it had completed the acquisition of Elantic Telecom. Elantic Telecom (formerly known as Dominion Telecom) operates an 8,200 route mile fiber network connecting all major cities on the Eastern portion of the United States. Elantic provides fiber optic, voice and data services to wireless, long distance, government and large enterprise customers throughout its 24 state footprint.

"Integrating the Cavalier and Elantic fiber networks will ensure our customers have access to the fastest and most reliable telecommunications network on the east coast," stated Brad Evans's Cavalier's CEO. The Elantic network is equipped with the latest in Internet Protocol and SONET technology capable of handling millions of simultaneous voice and data calls. Cavalier already owns a 3,000 mile fiber network with metropolitan fiber rings in major cities throughout the Mid-Atlantic area. Cavalier plans to utilize the Elantic network to expand its retail presence," concluded Evans.

For the past 18 months, Cavalier has been providing management, engineering and operating support to Elantic through a management services agreement. Cavalier added over 50 employees to support Elantic needs.

The Elantic fiber network connects over 52 major cities in a self-healing fiber ring design. The network reaches west from Chicago, and North thru New York, expands down the East coast and South to Wilmington, North Carolina. The network also includes former Telergy assets that were deployed throughout many metropolitan areas in New York state. The largest concentration of fiber is in Virginia where fiber rings encircle much of the state. Over $1 billion dollars was invested to create the Elantic footprint.

Cavalier's existing 35,000 business customers will also benefit from an advanced array of city to city fiber services not previously available. Gigabit Internet service, video conferencing and multi-office data networking are a few of the enhanced features available to Cavalier customers.

The Elantic network will also play a pivotal role in Cavalier's IPTV initiative. Hundreds of video channels will emit from Cavalier's Superheadend in Richmond for IPTV delivery to homes across the Mid-Atlantic. Cavalier's Triple Play will include Telephone service, Broadband Internet, and Cable TV services for $95.95 per month.