Spectrotel and AireSpring to Merge to Create a Leading
Managed Network Services Platform

Combination, backed by Charlesbank and Grain, creates a differentiated, scaled managed network services platform with global connectivity and advanced capabilities to drive accelerated growth

 

NEPTUNE, N.J., April 23, 2026Spectrotel Holding, LLC (“Spectrotel” or the “Company”), a leading provider of managed network services and connectivity solutions, today announced that it will merge with AireSpring, a premier provider of global connectivity, managed services, and network infrastructure solutions.

Spectrotel also announced a new strategic investment led by Charlesbank Capital Partners (“Charlesbank”) in order to support the Company’s next phase of growth, including the planned combination with AireSpring. Grain Management (“Grain”) will continue to back the combined platform through a reinvestment in the Company, and members of the Lonstein family, the founders of AireSpring, will remain significant minority investors. Spectrotel Chief Executive Officer Ross Artale will continue in his role as Chief Executive Officer to lead the combined business.

Together, Spectrotel and AireSpring will be better positioned to support a broader range of customer segments, from SMB and mid-market organizations to complex, distributed enterprise environments, with a wider suite of targeted connectivity solutions. By combining Spectrotel’s strengths in distributed enterprise networking and managed network services with AireSpring’s experience in global connectivity, facility-based network assets, geo-redundant voice infrastructure, and nationwide fiber capabilities, the combined organization is expected to deliver a more comprehensive and scalable platform for customers and partners with greater control over network performance, resiliency, and service delivery.

“We believe that merging with AireSpring will meaningfully expand our capabilities through enhanced global reach, infrastructure, and deep technical expertise that complement our leadership in distributed enterprise and managed services,” said Ross Artale, Spectrotel CEO. “With Charlesbank’s partnership and Grain’s continued support, we will be even better equipped to reduce complexity, improve performance, and drive better business outcomes for our customers.”

“We built AireSpring with a long-term commitment to our partners and a belief that the indirect channel deserves a provider that is fully aligned with its success,” said Avi Lonstein, Co-Founder of AireSpring. “Our combination with Spectrotel prioritizes the best possible outcomes for our customers, partners, and team members. 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.”

Strategic Rationale and Combined Strengths

The combination of Spectrotel and AireSpring will create a powerful platform designed to meet the growing demands of modern enterprises with several key differentiators:

  • Global Connectivity with Greater Network Control
    AireSpring’s global network reach, anchored by its nationwide facility-based fiber network and geo-redundant voice infrastructure, enables more direct control over network performance and service delivery, reducing dependency on third parties and improving consistency, resiliency, and speed of issue resolution across locations.
  • Purpose-Built for Distributed Enterprise Environments
    Spectrotel’s strength in supporting multi-location networks will be paired with deeper infrastructure capabilities, enabling more reliable connectivity at critical sites, regional hubs, and edge locations where performance and uptime directly impact business operations.
  • Intelligent Managed Network Services with Real Operational Impact
    The combined platform advances beyond traditional monitoring by integrating automation, observability, and AI-driven intelligence to identify issues earlier, accelerate remediation, and reduce downtime – all of which are expected to drive measurable improvements in network performance and user experience.
  • Expanded Opportunity for Channel Partners
    With stronger alignment across SMB, mid-market, and distributed enterprise segments, partners will be well-positioned to capture opportunities with solutions tailored to specific customer needs, supported by deeper technical expertise and a platform designed to deliver consistent outcomes at scale.

Charlesbank Investment to Accelerate Innovation and Growth

Drawing on its nearly three-decade history, Charlesbank has a strong track record of partnering with management teams to scale technology-enabled services businesses. Its investment in Spectrotel is the culmination of a multi-year thematic effort in the managed network and network security sectors.

“Spectrotel and AireSpring 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,” said Ryan Carroll, Managing Director at Charlesbank.

Mike McGuire, Principal at Charlesbank, added, “We look forward to collaborating with the leadership team to support the Company’s next phase of growth, which will include investing in ongoing advances in automation and AI-driven network intelligence, an expanding suite of managed services, and deeper partnerships across the channel and carrier ecosystem.”

“Grain has been proud to partner with Spectrotel and support its evolution into a leading managed network services provider,” said Jenny Kashdan, Managing Director at Grain. “This transaction underscores the strength of the platform and creates a compelling opportunity to continue building alongside Charlesbank and the management team as the Company expands its capabilities and market reach.”

Transaction Details

The transaction is expected to close later this year, subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Advisors

Moelis & Company LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to Spectrotel, Charlesbank, and Grain. Gibson Dunn served as legal counsel to Spectrotel and Grain, while Latham & Watkins and Wilkinson Barker Knauer served as legal counsel to Charlesbank. Bank Street Group LLC served as exclusive financial advisor and Alston & Bird as legal counsel to AireSpring in connection with this transaction.

About Spectrotel

Spectrotel is redefining Managed Network Services by raising the service bar—advancing network management from reactive and proactive approaches to predictive and prescriptive strategies. Our technology-enabled, service-exceeding solutions leverage automation, AI-driven intelligence, and human expertise to reduce downtime, minimize service degradation, and strengthen communication platforms. From SD-WAN and SASE to cloud connectivity and advanced security, Spectrotel provides seamless, scalable, and fully managed solutions that empower businesses to focus on growth while we ensure their networks run with maximum performance and resilience.

For more information, visit www.spectrotel.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

About AireSpring

AireSpring is a global managed network services provider delivering connectivity, networking, and security solutions to enterprises in more than 190 countries via contracts with more than 265 carriers and ISPs. Operating through a 100% channel-exclusive model, AireSpring provides a comprehensive portfolio including managed global connectivity, SD-WAN, SASE, enterprise mobility, and unified communications. Its AI-powered IT service management platform, AIreCONTROL, provides single pane of glass visibility, automation, and lifecycle management across complex, multi-vendor networks.

About Charlesbank Capital Partners

Founded in 1998, Charlesbank Capital Partners is a leading middle-market private investment firm with approximately $21 billion of assets under management as of 12/31/25. Drawing on nearly three decades of experience and sector insights, the firm takes a thematic approach to investing across its target sectors: business and consumer services, healthcare, industrials and technology & technology infrastructure. Charlesbank partners with talented management teams to help businesses unlock value and accelerate growth, with a focus on long-term value creation. The firm provides flexible capital through its complementary private equity and credit strategies, which collaborate closely to harness the firm’s collective insights, resources, and network. Charlesbank has offices in Boston and New York. For more information, visit charlesbank.com or follow Charlesbank on LinkedIn.

About Grain Management

Founded in 2007, Grain Management is a leading global investment firm. We believe broadband and digital infrastructure are foundational to the tech-enabled transformation occurring across all industries and facets of society. Our global team of seasoned and diverse professionals share a collective passion for the power of connectivity to strengthen communities and unlock human potential for all.

We specialize in digital infrastructure and are a trusted solutions provider to the broadband and communications industry. Our unique combination of sector knowledge, experience as operators, and disciplined analytical approach guide our differentiated investment strategy across fiber networks, data centers, wireless spectrum, cell towers, as well as managed and infrastructure services.

For more information visit graingp.com.

Contact:

Spectrotel
Prosek Partners
pro-Spectrotel@prosek.com

AireSpring

Ellen Cahill
SVP Marketing
AireSpring
Ellen.cahill@airespring.com

Charlesbank

Prosek Partners
pro-charlesbank@prosek.com

Grain

Grain Management Public Relations
PR@graingp.com

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Ellen Cahill

SENIOR VP MARKETING

Ellen Cahill is a results-driven marketing leader with over 20 years of experience driving revenue growth, brand elevation, and market expansion in the technology and software industries. She has held senior marketing roles at companies such as Casewise, Natural Md Search.com, BeyondTrust, Thinque, New Era of Networks (Sybase) and SeeBeyond Technology (Sun Microsystems) leading high-impact B2B and B2C marketing strategies across product marketing, brand transformation, and revenue acceleration.

Specializing in relaunching acquired companies, integrating product lines, lead generation and executing go-to-market strategies, Ellen has a proven track record of building world-class teams and delivering measurable business impact. With deep expertise in SaaS, security, and cloud computing, she blends data-driven insights with creative execution to enhance brand visibility, customer engagement, and competitive advantage in dynamic markets.

Rod Rummelsburg

GENERAL COUNSEL

Rod Rummelsburg brings extensive experience in intellectual property, corporate and commercial Law, litigation and alternative dispute resolution to AireSpring including over 15 years of managing the transactional, litigation, negotiation and IP/patent needs of several domestic and international telecommunications and Internet companies.   Mr. Rummelsburg has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in multimillion dollar litigation matters in California, numerous state and federal courts and various appellate courts including the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal.  As in-house counsel at American Tower Corp. (NYSE: AMT), formerly Interpacket Networks, Inc., Mr. Rummelsburg managed telecommunications, regulatory, and legal issues for subsidiaries and customers in approximately 125 countries.  Additionally, Mr. Rummelsburg has negotiated and structured telecommunication deals with numerous foreign government-owned utility companies.  Mr. Rummelsburg is admitted to practice law in all federal and state courts in California and is a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.   Mr. Rummelsburg has a comprehensive understanding of all phases of software development, having worked for many years at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, TRW and Hughes Aircraft designing and developing software communications and information systems.  After earning a BA from UCLA, Mr. Rummelsburg graduated with honors from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA with a MS in Computer Science and earned a J.D. degree with honors from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, CA.

David Lonstein

EXECUTIVE VP PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

Mr. Lonstein previously ran the Customer Service Division at ADDTEL Communications and has 20 years of experience in all aspects of the telecommunications industry, including customer service, repair, and product management. Since joining AireSpring, he has been deeply involved in the company’s growth as the Director of Customer Service and later the Vice President of Carrier Relations. In his current role as Executive Vice President of Product Management, Mr. Lonstein oversees product development and management, special pricing, and the QuoteSpring proposal generation platform.

Tony C. Lonstein

EXECUTIVE VP CORPORATE STRATEGY

With over 30 years experience in international trading, Mr. Lonstein was the former co-founder and Chairman of ADDTEL Communications. Mr. Lonstein was responsible for the overall strategic direction for ADDTEL. Mr. Lonstein was involved in extensive negotiations with major carriers, including AT&T and MCI, as well as with major customers, which included such company as Earthlink Network. Mr. Lonstein’s prior experience includes the complex structure of several multinational trading agreements, as well as international import/export and commodities trading.

Russ Shipley

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Russ Shipley is a seasoned leader in the industry with 35+ years of experience. Prior to joining AireSpring, Russ held a variety of executive positions at TPx (formerly TelePacific), most recently serving as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Prior to assuming the COO role, Russ  served as the Executive Senior Vice President of Wholesale, Engineering and Operations and Network Services at TPx,  providing senior leadership at TPx for over 15 years. Before to joining TPx, Russ served as President of Wholesale, Chief Network Services and as New Technology Officer at Mpower Communications Corporation. Russ has also held several leadership positions with Global Crossing, Frontier Corporation and Rochester Telephone Corporation with a dedicated focus in service, operations, engineering, technology, construction, sales, and business development groups. Russ holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and an MBA with a concentration in Operations Management from the University of Rochester.

Arno Vigen

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Mr. Vigen has 30 years of experience in financial and executive management positions, including as the Chief Operating Officer of Justice Technology, which was named the Inc. 500 Winner for #1 Fastest Growing Private Company in the USA 1999. He also served as the Vice President of Finance for GSM and national carriers overseas. Mr. Vigen oversaw acquisitions by IDB Communications of FTC Communications – France Telecom (USA) and World Communications (formerly part of ITT – International Telephone and Telegraph), as well as the sale of IDB itself to LDDS.

Daniel Lonstein

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER

Daniel Lonstein is responsible for the day-to-day operations of AireSpring, including the sales and marketing of its award-winning cloud communications solutions. He possesses extensive experience in the sales process both inside and outside of the communications industry. Since AireSpring was founded in 2001, Mr. Lonstein has consistently anticipated and led the transition from legacy services to VoIP and cloud solutions. Mr. Lonstein draws upon his over twenty-five years of experience in the telecommunications and high tech industries to create cutting edge products, direct sales and channel programs, and the operational teams necessary to support the delivery of mission critical products and services to small businesses and Fortune 100 brands alike in the highly competitive Unified Communications and Contact Center industries.
In his position at the forefront of change in the industry, Mr. Lonstein has participated in multiple panels and published numerous articles on the latest products and technology trends in the US and abroad. He has lived and worked in Japan, Israel, and South Africa. Prior to AireSpring, Mr. Lonstein was co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of ADDTEL Communications and has previously held positions at On Target Market Research and Tel-Aviv based USTM Partners, as well as consulting for various international telecommunications conglomerates on how to export high tech and telecom products to the US.

Avi Lonstein

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Avi Lonstein has been a telecom entrepreneur for over 25 years. In 1989, Mr. Lonstein co-founded ADDTEL Communications. As President of ADDTEL, he was directly responsible for growing the company from a start-up operation to one of the country’s most successful nationwide long distance resellers. Under Mr. Lonstein’s direction, ADDTEL was recognized as one of the telecom industry’s most innovative and well-managed companies, and experienced substantial growth during his tenure. Mr. Lonstein’s next entrepreneurial venture was AireSpring which he co-founded in 2001. Mr. Lonstein and his team foresaw the massive changes in telecom technology, and rapidly built AireSpring’s own next-generation IP network to become a full-fledged VoIP carrier, offering a range of SIP Trunking and telephony services. Mr. Lonstein later spearheaded development of the company’s own nationwide MPLS network and created an innovative Mesh MPLS product that has won several awards. As chief executive officer for AireSpring, Mr. Lonstein is responsible for the company’s operations, strategy, and transformation into a nationwide provider of managed services for IP communications, intelligent networking and cloud computing applications and services. He continues to lead AireSpring as the company expands its portfolio of award-winning services and applications to keep it on the cutting edge.

Roy Pereira

SVP Information Technology

Roy Pereira serves as AireSpring’s Senior Vice President of Information Technology. Pereira brings more than two decades of technology leadership experience across enterprise organizations, with deep expertise in digital transformation, AI/ML implementation, process automation, and telecommunications. He is an accomplished executive with a proven track record of leveraging advanced technologies to optimize business operations, enhance customer experience, and deliver measurable results.

Prior to joining AireSpring, Pereira served for more than 16 years at Cox Communications in various roles in Operations Support Systems (OSS) and Business Support Systems (BSS).  Most recently, he was the Assistant Vice President of Digital Technology, where he spearheaded large-scale digital transformation initiatives, leading a team of over four hundred. His leadership enabled more than $40 million in cost savings and over $1 billion in new revenue, while implementing AI/ML solutions that optimized customer experience and operational efficiency.

Earlier in his career, he held technology leadership positions at SpartanNash, Harris Corporation, and Siemens, where he drove enterprise architecture, broadband product engineering, and systems design initiatives. He also served as an adjunct professor at Ferris State University, helping design a software engineering degree program and teaching courses in game programming and digital animation.

Pereira holds six patents in technology and telecommunications, a Master’s degree in Finance from Harvard University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from Hope College.  He also has completed several executive education programs in telecommunication management from University of Virginia Darden School of Business and Georgia Institute of Technology. He is recognized as a visionary leader in applying advanced technologies to drive growth and transformation.

Lisa Taranto

Chief Accounting Officer

Lisa Taranto joined AireSpring as Chief Accounting Officer in July 2025, bringing more than 20 years of financial leadership in the communications and technology industries. She oversees AireSpring’s finance and accounting organization, including billing operations, strategic planning, cash flow and treasury management, ensuring the company’s financial health and operational efficiency.

Before joining AireSpring, Lisa was Chief Accounting Officer at Nitel, where she directed the company’s finance and accounting functions. She previously served as Chief Financial Officer for Resurgence Infrastructure Group, where she built financial operations, accounting systems, and processes for a newly acquired colocation and dark fiber infrastructure company.

Earlier, Lisa spent five years as Vice President and Principal Accounting Officer at Fusion Connect, leading financial operations, accounting, and SEC reporting, and playing a key role in the company’s tenfold growth. She also held executive management roles at MCI/Verizon Business, where she led global financial operations and IT revenue systems.

Throughout her career, Lisa has been instrumental in numerous acquisitions, building and restructuring best-in-class accounting organizations and implementing scalable financial systems for both public and private enterprises.

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Michael McDaniel

Senior VP of Service Delivery

Michael McDaniel brings over 30 years of leadership experience in the telecommunications industry, with a strong focus on technology-driven service delivery, customer experience, and operational excellence. Throughout his career, he has successfully led OSS/BSS system migrations, IT strategy initiatives, and enterprise service transformations, all while driving revenue growth and enhancing client satisfaction.

Before joining AireSpring, Michael held several senior leadership roles, including Vice President of Customer Operations at Surf Internet, Vice President of Enterprise Service Delivery at Peerless Network, and Vice President of Operations and IT Strategy at NTS Communications. His extensive experience also spans leadership positions at MCI WorldCom, Windstream, McLeodUSA, PAETEC, and Call One, where he specialized in IT, operations, product engineering, project management, provisioning, call center management, and next generation testing laboratories.

With a proven track record of streamlining service delivery, optimizing operations, and implementing cutting-edge telecommunications solutions, Michael plays a key role in ensuring AireSpring continues to provide best-in-class service and support to its partners and customers.

Ken Bisnoff

SENIOR VP OF CUSTOMER SUCCESS

Ken Bisnoff has over 30 years of experience leading high-performing organizations through periods of rapid organizational growth and expansion. As a founding member of the TPx Communications executive team, he played a pivotal role in that company's explosive growth and transformation from a small startup regional CLEC to a billion-dollar national managed services provider.

Ken has a deep understanding of industry trends, sales processes, business communications, and strategic and tactical execution. During his time at TPx, Ken held various roles that included leading direct and indirect sales, human resources, and marketing communications as well as guiding sales teams through market, tech, and M&A transformations. Ken’s track record of achievement as a channel leader includes recognition by CRN magazine as a Top 50 Most Influential “Channel Chief” in 2023, and from 2017 to 2019. He also earned the Circle of Excellence Award in 2017 from Channel Partners Magazine. Ken has served on the advisory boards of both the Technology Channel Association and Channel Partners.

Before joining AireSpring, Ken served as Senior Vice President and Channel Chief Americas at GTT.  Bisnoff was also a co-founder of leading telecom industry consultancy Eagleteq Advisors (now X4 Advisors). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

David Hess

SENIOR VP OF MOBILITY

David Hess serves Senior Vice President of Mobility. David spearheads AireSpring’s expanding mobility strategy targeting Wireless WAN, IoT, Data, Voice, and Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) solutions.

David is a seasoned telecommunications leader with an influential level of experience within the Virtual Mobile Operator (VNO) sector. He has held prominent positions in the industry, most recently as the Senior Vice President of North America Sales for Pareteum, where he created and grew a sizeable business unit within that organization, targeting the IoT and VNO segments.

David’s accomplishments in the telecommunication industry are highlighted with many success stories related to driving growth and building value for Communication Service Providers (CSPs) both in the US and globally. Starting his career in sales, Hess then moved rapidly up into notable executive level roles, with companies such as KDDI & Telia as well as other emerging telecommunication service providers.

David brings over 22 years of success leading operations and sales in the telecommunication, cloud infrastructure, and managed service provider markets. His accomplishments in the telecommunication industry are highlighted by many success stories related to driving growth and building value for Communication Service Providers (CSPs) both in the US and globally.

John Young

SENIOR VP OF CHANNEL SALES

John Young is a highly respected telecom industry executive, with a deep record of innovation and  leadership in both direct and channel sales. John joined AireSpring after more than 13 years at NetFortris where he was Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Global Channel Chief. His broad range of responsibilities there included both Enterprise and Channel Sales, Channel Marketing and Account Management. John previously served as Senior Vice President of Global Sales at Fonality (acquired by NetFortris in 2018) where he developed the North American and international sales teams and programs from the ground up, managing a large team of global Enterprise, Channel and Account Management sales reps, directors and VPs. During his career John has been invaluable in developing many unique partnerships with VARs, master agencies and sub-agents.

Wendell Nelson

SENIOR VP STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

Wendell Nelson is a telecom industry veteran, with more than 25 years in the industry, successfully managing teams and building partnerships that deliver results. He has served as Vice President of Corporate Development at TailWind Voice & Data, expanding their opportunities beyond national technical support and dispatch services and into the connectivity business. Previously, he ran wholesale sales for Global Capacity, MegaPath and Covad Communications, building a reputation for success as an executive in corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, finance, engineering, sales and operations.