IKE had to bulk up their balance sheet.The issue was well supported.I think their big US companies had concerns about dealing with a small company,perhaps being seen as under financed..I am just guessing this.
The huge US companies are making a big commitment to IKE, by aligning their systems to IKE's.So if IKE went bust it would cost the major telegraph and electric companies a great deal to replace IKE's systems.
This could mean IKE is attractive to AT&T and others in the sector. They could also be of great interest to a private equity fund, owning a company with such a strong major blue chip client base.