Guam - There's huge news from the telecommunications sector, as GTA TeleGuam announced that Shamrock Capital Advisors, which privatized the company in 2005, has withdrawn its investment in the company. GTA has been acquired by Advantage Partners, an equity fund company primarily managing interests in Japan. 

Shamrock Capital Advisors, which manages the late Roy Disney's family fortune, initially acquired GTA five years ago for $150 million in cash. GTA executive vice president of product development Andrew Gayle told KUAM News about the announcement, "What this means as investors is they're not an operating company, they're a private equity firm and they're going to be investors for GTA - the executive team, the executive operations teams, the staff and management all will stay the same. It's just a new investor in the company."

As Shamrock sells its investment and turns over its capital, GTA TeleGuam executive vice president of People Department Marie Mesa says AP's investment means status quo for the 330 staffers of the company. "GTA since privatization has been very successful and because of that we've attracted a lot of people that have come to take a look at us and this particular investment company sees the value in it, the value in what's coming in the near future with the buildup and what have you. So it's going to be good for the investor, it's going to be good for the customer, which is also very important. And for the employee, all employees. It'll be totally transparent to the employees. Everyone stays the same from the top down," she said.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed and the transaction is still pending government and regulatory approvals. GTA officials are excited about the new partnership and believe AP's investment in Guam will not only benefit employees but customers, as well.  "With these new investors we're looking forward to some refreshed ideas how we can continue to have success in the marketplace," Gayle added.

Advantage Partners representative Richard Folsom stated in a press release that they believe the company is well-positioned for continued growth with its state of the art infrastructure, penetration of quadruple play offerings and macro growth from the military buildup.