[Toronto, CANADA] There's nothing like a cool CDN $50-million to soothe a CEO's soul. But according to financial pundits, Everest Broadband Networks' third round of financing is more than simply a healthy infusion of venture capital. It's the anchor that will steady this high-speed Internet access provider when the much-anticipated wave of consolidations hits the broadband industry in the coming months.

Prophesizes telecommunications analyst Cannon Carr of CIBC World Markets: "We continue to expect increasing consolidation over the next six months in local broadband, including the building-centric carrier space. During this period we expect well-managed carriers to make opportunistic acquisitions as several of their peers face funding issues or weak execution ... [Everest Broadband's] private placement, in our view, highlights Everest's focus on execution and capital efficiency while providing it with strong financial backing for expansion."