**Editor’s Note: Please click here for a recap of the biggest channel-impacting merger and acquisition news from February.**

Unified communications provider CallTower is buying Appia Communications, a provider of cloud-based applications and communication services.

CallTower said it will be able to deliver a broader range of services and solutions to the combined customer base and new business customers of all sizes. The combination further “broadens employees, shareholders, partners and customer’s overall value” while strengthening CallTower’s communication service offering, it said.

CallTower’s Tom Sullivan

Financial details of the transaction weren’t disclosed.

Tom Sullivan, CallTower’s vice president of sales, tells Channel Partners the acquisition will create “exciting new opportunities” for CallTower and Appia partners.

“With this acquisition, CallTower partners will have more options for cloud contact center, network solutions and another option for on-premise customers looking to move to the cloud for hosted PBX,” he said. “We will also gain a broadened network and support organization, which will benefit current and future customers. Additionally, this acquisition delivers resources for sales, technology, operations, development — as well as research and marketing.”

The two companies weren’t really competitors, but CallTower had “good knowledge” of Appia’s offering, Sullivan said.

“Our goal has been to enhance our product and service offering with an additional hosted PBX platform, contact-center product and new SIP service,” he said. “Appia is very complementary to our current offering and will provide our partners more to cover all their customer needs.”

CallTower’s and Appia’s partners will be consolidated within the next six months, Sullivan said.

“We are looking forward to working diligently and expeditiously to integrating Appia into CallTower, releasing additional innovative solutions,” he said. “Appia partners will now have an expanded portfolio to offer customers. They can deliver hosted Microsoft and Cisco unified communications solutions with several key integrations. Partners will continue to work with their current channel sales team at Appia and CallTower respectively. Partners’ current Appia customers will retain the same contacts for sales, support and implementation that they have in the past. We want to make this as seamless as possible for all of our partners.”

Collectively, CallTower and Appia have implemented and supported more than 150,000 users on cloud-based communication services.

“The acquisition of Appia creates an exciting opportunity for our customers, partners and shareholders,” said Bret England, CallTower’s CEO. “In addition to expanding product offerings and market position, this is a strategic transaction for our customers and partners. We believe this combination will give our customers greater product choices, expanded support and more resources. We are looking forward to working diligently and expeditiously to integrating Appia into CallTower, releasing additional innovative products and services, and continuing to provide best-in-class customer experience.”