Photo: Ross Artale (center) discusses Spectrotel's M&A strategy.
Spectrotel and AireSpring – two of the largest managed network service providers – are merging.
Spectrotel, No. 33 on the 2025 MSP 501, and AireSpring revealed the merger this week. The merger will turn the combined entity into a prime competitor for Granite Telecommunications, MetTel and GTT.
Spectrotel CEO Ross Artale – a 2025 MSP 501 Executive of the Year – will lead the combined business. No decision has been made yet if the MSPs will combine branding or continue as Spectrotel and AireSpring. The deal is expected to close this year.
Artale wrote on LinkedIn that he plans to keep personnel and resources of both MSPs intact after the close.
“Having been a part of this industry for the last 31 years, I've learned from watching others exactly what not to do during a merger of equals,” Artale wrote. “We will keep all hands-on deck to support customers and channel partners. This means all engineering, NOC, customer service, project managers, service delivery managers, account managers, channel managers, etc. resources will stay intact to provide even better service to our customers.”
Private equity firm Grain Management invested in Spectrotel in 2023 and funded its 2025 acquisition of Mosaic Networks. Spectrotel has received new strategic investment led by Charlesbank Capital Partners to support further growth. Grain will continue to back the combined platform through a re-investment and AireSpring founders Avi Lonstein and Daniel Lonstein will remain significant minority investors.
“We will be positioned for our next phase of growth as we continue to support the evolving needs of modern business,” Artale wrote of the new investments.
During a service providers panel at Channel Partners Conference/MSP Summit this month, Artale discussed his M&A strategy and the significance of Grain’s investments.
“We entered a private equity partnership a little over two years ago,” he said. “Grain is a global broadband infrastructure ecosystem provider, and they really accelerated our growth by allowing us to put capital back into the business. We made our first acquisition in November 2025 — Mosaic Networks, a global connectivity MSP with a great partnership with Cato Networks. We're still exploring opportunities and will be active in the space.”
Artale said Spectrotel had double-digit revenue growth last year.
AireSpring CEO Avi Lonstein called the merger the best outcome for the MSPs’ customers, partners and employees.
“With both organizations dedicated to outstanding customer satisfaction and absolutely committed to the channel, we are confident the experience will be not only preserved, but meaningfully enhanced,” Lonstein said.
Charlesbank managing director Ryan Carroll said the two MSPs “have built differentiated but complementary platforms centered on service excellence, innovation, and customer outcomes, and this investment underscores our confidence in the Company’s long-term strategy.”
Spectrotel’s managed services include SD-WAN, SASE, cloud connectivity and advanced security. AireSpring delivers connectivity, network and security services to enterprises in nearly 200 countries with more than 265 carriers and ISPs. AireSpring’s portfolio includes managed global connectivity, SD-WAN, SASE, enterprise mobility, and unified communications. Its AIreCONTROL AI-powered IT service management platform helps manage multi-vendor networks.