The company was set to bring together the state-of-the-art fibre-optic networks of the two partners and the Internet services expertise and customer base of EUnet International.
The company planned to build and operate a high-capacity European fibre optic, Internet Protocol-based network that was to span 13,000 kilometers when completed 2001.
During its history of less than four years, KPNQwest created a unique, nothing-is-impossible working spirit and company culture among its 2,500 employees under the leadership of an AT&T veteran Jack McMaster.
The bankruptcy was largely due to the general Dot-com boom, which created highly inflated capacity demands for telecom operators.
These swaps created artificial revenue figures and thus provided incorrect financial guidance to the company management and investors.