United Asset Coverage, a provider of integrated telecommunications and data networking maintenance services, announced this week that it is acquiring a portion of the enterprise voice maintenance business of NextiraOne, an enterprise IP service provider.

The companies also signed a multi-year joint services agreement, under which NextriaOne will be a preferred vendor of advanced break/fix services to UAC. The agreement calls for NextiraOne field technicians and technical assistance centers to service UAC's entire Nortel client base across North America, including existing UAC clients and clients transitioning from NextiraOne.

According to the companies, the deal establishes UAC as the largest third-party maintenance company, with contractual responsibility for more than 5 million corporate desktops throughout North America and Asia.

UAC already assumed the day-to-day management of voice maintenance services for the migrating client base, which includes 115 companies in the Fortune 500. About 300 employees, including 200 technicians and 100 client care personnel, will move from NextiraOne to UAC to support those customers. As part of the transaction, UAC also is acquiring a fleet of 100 vans, a parts inventory, a call center operation and a leased facility.

UAC's day-to-day management of the acquired NextiraOne voice maintenance contracts will include alarm monitoring, call receipt, dispatch and billing functions. Clients that contracted for full-time on-site technicians through NextiraOne will continue to be serviced by the same personnel as before for troubleshooting, repairs, manufacturer escalation, and the majority of Moves/Adds/Changes services, according to UAC. Other clients will have the option to continue using NextiraOne as well.

The agreement also gives the affected customers the opportunity to consolidate multiple telecom service agreements into a single UAC master agreement covering all corporate locations regardless of the brand of PBX equipment used. Instead of contracting with one provider to maintain Nortel equipment and other providers to maintain other systems, such as Avaya and NEC, clients can now sign a single contract and deal with a single call center to meet all of their voice maintenance needs.

NextiraOne officials said in a statement that the deal helps support NextiraOne's strategic evolution to a value-added services and complete solutions model, as illustrated by the recent introduction of its professional and managed services practice.