Suddenlink Communications is an integrated media company providing cable, Internet, telephone and security services to more than a million customers in the South and Midwest. The company, a subsidiary of Cequel Communications LLC, is headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri, and reported annual revenues of approximately $1.5 billion in 2009.

Origin

Suddenlink is the culmination of many years of growth and acquisition by founder Jerry Kent. In 2002, Kent and his partners formed Cequel III and took control of a small wireless company called AAT Communications. By 2003, Cequel had added cable provider Classic Communications to its holdings.

Expansion

Classic Communications was a small rural cable provider with around 325,000 subscribers in 2003. Cequel aggressively expanded and bought into other markets until, in 2006, the company more than tripled its customer base.

New Name

In 2006, Cebridge changed its name to Suddenlink. Although still privately owned by Cequel Communications, Suddenlink is the seventh largest cable and media provider in the United States in 2010.