Mergers and acquisitions roundup

Level 3 Communications Inc. of Broomfield, Colo., will buy Internet services provider WilTel Communications Group LLC for $370 million cash and 115 million shares stock in a deal to close in the first quarter of 2006.WilTel of Tulsa, Okla., delivers voice, data, video and IP services over a next generation fiber-optic network.Level 3 will acquire from WilTel owner, Leucadia National Corp. of New York, WilTel's communications business, including its Vyvx video transmission business and a lucrative contract with SBC Communications Inc. that runs through 2009 and is worth up to $725 million.Juniper Networks Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., bought Acorn Packet Solutions Inc. for $8.7 million cash in a deal that will let the IP network company enhance its service offerings to federal customers. The transaction closed Oct. 20.Acorn Packet Solutions of Frederick, Md., products help users connect legacy non-IP networks via IP networks. The company had 2004 revenue of less than $1 million.Juniper designs and sells IP routers for private and public access networks.Anteon International Corp. bought IT services provider Milestone Group LLC of Arlington, Va., for $31.5 million.Milestone Group provides IT, systems integration and engineering services for enterprise architecture and systems work, information assurance and program and financial management to federal government clients.