Net2000 to close Providence office, fire 400

PROVIDENCE – Net2000 Communications Inc., a provider of Internet and telephone services, said it fired 400 employees, 60 percent of the total workforce and may put itself up for sale. The company will close offices in Providence, New York and Boston as a result of the firings, according to a statement. Net2000 said it hired Jefferies & Co. to explore alternatives, including a possible sale of the company. Net2000 said it will focus on the Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Va., and San Jose, Calif., markets, where it has an established customer base, as it tries to conserve cash in the slowing economy.