The combined entity, say the companies, will continue to develop both brands, and will support more than 20,000 clients and 50,000 dedicated servers. The new organization is the largest dedicated hosting provider in the market, they say, and will have the scale and financial strength to improve service levels and product innovation.

Both hosting companies are based in Texas, and each was among the largest Web hosting providers in the world prior to last week's acquisitions by GI Partners.

"We are very pleased to have this opportunity to invest in further building upon the strong foundations at EV1 and The Planet," said Howard Park, managing director of GI Partners. "Our aim is to provide the additional access to financial and other resources that will enable the combined company to continue growing profitably while further improving service levels, expanding product offerings, and enhancing the total client experience."