Allstream Inc. is a business communications provider based in
Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...
, Canada, that provides
Internet Protocol
The Internet Protocol (IP) is the network layer communications protocol in the Internet protocol suite for relaying datagrams across network boundaries. Its routing function enables internetworking, and essentially establishes the Internet.
IP ...
(IP) connectivity, managed IP services,
unified communications
Unified communications (UC) is a business and marketing concept describing the integration of enterprise communication services such as instant messaging (chat), presence information, voice (including IP telephony), mobility features (including ...
and voice services to its customers in the United States and Canada.
The company traces its history to
CNCP Telecommunications
CNCP Telecommunications (Canadian National-Canadian Pacific Telecommunications) was an electrical telegraph operator and later a telecom company, which operated between 1967 and 1990.
CNCP was created as a joint venture between the Canadian Na ...
, a joint company operated by
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...
(CN) and
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
(CP) from the 1960s. In the 1980s, they spun off the
telex
Telex is a telecommunication
Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communica ...
and
telegram
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...
network to
Teleglobe Canada (later
Telegrams Canada) and changed the name to
Unitel Communications
Allstream Inc. is a business communications provider based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, that provides Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, managed IP services, unified communications and voice services to its customers in the United States a ...
in a bid to offer commercial long distance service. The service changed hands several times, for a time becoming AT&T Canada.
Allstream emerged in its current form in 2012 when its latest owners
Manitoba Telecom Services
Bell MTS Inc. (formerly Manitoba Telecom Services) is a subsidiary of BCE Inc. that operates telecommunications services in Manitoba.
Originally established as Manitoba Government Telephones after the Government of Manitoba purchased the Manito ...
(MTS) split off the commercial side of their offerings. Since 2015, the company has been owned by
Zayo Group
Zayo Group Holdings, Inc., or Zayo Group, is a privately held company headquartered in Denver, CO, U.S. with European headquarters in London, England. The company provides communications infrastructure services, including fiber and bandwidth c ...
, a US-based
fibre optic
An optical fiber, or optical fibre, is a flexible glass or plastic fiber that can transmit light from one end to the other. Such fibers find wide usage in fiber-optic communications, where they permit transmission over longer distances and at ...
network operator.
History
When the
telegraph
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...
and
telex
Telex is a telecommunication
Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communica ...
businesses went into decline,
CN Telegraphs
The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I railroad, Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN is Canada's l ...
and
CP Telegraphs
The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, known unt ...
, aligned with their respective railways, formed a joint venture in 1967,
CNCP Telecommunications
CNCP Telecommunications (Canadian National-Canadian Pacific Telecommunications) was an electrical telegraph operator and later a telecom company, which operated between 1967 and 1990.
CNCP was created as a joint venture between the Canadian Na ...
, to operate the telegraph and telex business more profitably. CNCP applied in 1983 to operate a long-distance network in competition with the incumbent local telephone companies' long-distance services. The application was rejected by the
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; ) is a public organization in Canada tasked with the mandate as a regulatory agency tribunal for various electronic communications, covering broadcasting and telecommunic ...
.

CNCP later changed its name to Unitel Communications Inc., and in 1990 it made a second bid to compete in the long-distance markets of Bell Canada,
BC Tel
British Columbia Telephone Company, later known as BC Tel, was the telephone company operating throughout the province of British Columbia, Canada. For most of its history, BC Tel was one of several regional monopolies in Canada. In 1985, the Ca ...
and the four Atlantic telephone companies under that name. At the time, only these four companies and
Northwestel
Northwestel Inc. (stylized as NorthwesTel) is a Canadian telecommunications company that is the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) and long-distance carrier in the territories of Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and part of northe ...
, another telecommunications company, were under federal regulation. The bid was successful, and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) opened the
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
telephone market to long-distance competition. At the time of the decision, Alberta's
AGT (later known as
Telus Telus may refer to:
* Telus Corporation, a Canadian publicly traded holding company
** Telus Communications, a telecommunications company
** Telus Digital, a technology company
** Telus Health, a health technology provider
** Telus Mobility
T ...
) also had come under federal regulation, and all other Canadian carriers followed before the end of the 1990s. Each was opened to competition at different time.
Unitel, unable to compete successfully in the environment it had created, was then sold to
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is a Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet, with significant additional telecommunications and mass media ass ...
, where the company attempted to enter the competition for long-distance communication. Later, the company was sold to a consortium of Canadian banks, with
AT&T Communications owning 33% share, but more than any one of the banks, giving them operational control.
For a time during the 1990s, there were Canadian TV spots for Unitel starring
Steven Weber
Steven Robert Weber (born March 4, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Brian Hackett on the television series '' Wings'', and as Dr. Dean Archer on NBC’s Chicago Med. He also voiced Charlie B. Barkin in '' ...
of ''
Wings
A wing is a type of fin that produces both lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-drag ratio, which compares the bene ...
''.

Unitel underwent
turnaround management
Turnaround management is a process dedicated to corporate renewal. It uses analysis and planning to save troubled companies and return them to solvency, and to identify the reasons for failing performance in the market, and rectify them. Turnaround ...
by CEO Bill Catucci, allowing it to be renamed AT&T Canada Long Distance Services. AT&T Canada was a Canadian long-distance telephone service provider, the Canadian subsidiary of AT&T Communications. In 1999, the company also merged with Metronet Communications of Calgary, Alberta. In 2003, the company was renamed Allstream as a result of AT&T's declining participation in the company. AT&T sold its remaining interests in the Canadian company in 2004.

The company was subsequently acquired by
MTS in 2004 and was renamed MTS Allstream Inc. until 2012, when it was divided into two separate companies, MTS Inc. and Allstream Inc. Allstream was to be sold to Accelero Capital in May 2013, with the deal expected to close by the end of the year.
However, on 7 October 2013, the
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...
blocked the sale over "concerns of national security", noting that "MTS Allstream operates a national fibre optic network that provides critical telecommunications services to businesses and governments, including the Government of Canada."
Allstream was sold to US fibre optic provider
Zayo Group
Zayo Group Holdings, Inc., or Zayo Group, is a privately held company headquartered in Denver, CO, U.S. with European headquarters in London, England. The company provides communications infrastructure services, including fiber and bandwidth c ...
on 15 January 2016, for . In 2017, Zayo acquired Electric Lightwave/Integra Telecom, and integrated the voice and small business assets of Allstream and Electric Lightwave/Integra Telecom under the Allstream brand and established Allstream as a separate operating subsidiary. Following Zayo Group’s privatization in 2020,
led by EQT and Digital Colony, a new board of directors was established for Allstream.
From 2009 until 2017, Allstream held the naming rights to the Allstream Centre convention facility in
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, Ontario, Canada, housed in the heritage
Automotive Building.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allstream
Telecommunications companies of Canada
Companies based in Mississauga
Private equity portfolio companies
Canadian subsidiaries of foreign companies