Ziply Fiber has been busy expanding its fiber-optic network throughout its four-state service area.
Kirkland-based Ziply Fiber has agreed to acquire iFiber Communications, which provides high-speed fiber internet services in partnership with public utility districts in Western, Central, and Eastern Washington, Ziply announced today.
Based in the Central Washington city of Ephrata, iFiber primarily offers fiber internet and digital phone solutions for residential customers in partnership with Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, Kitsap, Mason, and Pend Oreille counties.
The deal, terms of which were not released, follows Ziply’s announcement in September that it had raised $450 million to support fiber network expansion in the Northwest. Ziply Fiber began operations in May 2020 after acquiring the Northwest operations of Frontier Communications in a $1.35 billion transaction.
Harold Zeitz, CEO of Ziply Fiber.
“From our start, Ziply Fiber has been dedicated to elevating the connected lives of our neighbors in the Northwest,” Harold Zeitz, CEO of Ziply Fiber, said in today’s news release. “We continue to look for new ways to bring high-speed fiber connectivity to as many communities as possible. Today’s agreement with iFiber not only expedites our ability to bring fiber internet to more customers, but also supports our belief in building effective public-private partnerships.”
Eric Hale, chairman of iFiber Communications
Eric Hale, chairman of iFiber Communications, added in the release, “For more than 15 years, iFiber has been dedicated to providing residents and businesses across Washington with access to powerful, reliable, high-speed fiber internet service. We continue to be impressed with Ziply Fiber’s devotion to Northwest families and believe that commitment will serve our nearly 18,000 iFiber customers well.”
Once the acquisition is complete, Ziply Fiber will deliver fiber internet service through an indefinite right of use with each PUD. Customers will get expanded service hours, access to new products such as hosted voice, whole home Wi-Fi, and improved network management capabilities, the release said. Current iFiber customers will continue to enjoy internet and voice services provided by the iFiber team, and all iFiber employees will continue supporting new and existing customers, the release added.
The planned iFiber acquisition follows Ziply acquisition of Eastern Oregon Net Inc. (EONI) in June, and the OTC Connections network and customer base in Cove, Oregon, not the full company, in July.
Ziply Fiber has announced new fiber construction projects in more than 90 cities and towns across the Northwest since it began its fiber expansion efforts in 2020. It plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to build an advanced, 100 percent fiber network to many suburban and rural communities that have been underserved with internet access. Ziply plans to build and deploy new fiber-optic cables, local hubs, new offices, and new hardware to run the network as part of hundreds of projects across its 250,000-square-mile footprint, its release said.
Ziply Fiber’s primary service offerings are Fiber Internet and phone for residential customers, Business Fiber Internet and Ziply Voice services for small businesses, and a variety of Internet, networking, and voice solutions for enterprise customers. The company also continues to support Ziply Internet (DSL) customers and its TV customers in Washington and Oregon.
