Metro Bytes: IQ Fiber, Brightspeed, Comcast, CityFibre

Four items of metro and last mile interest, three from the southeastern US, and one from the UK.

CityFibre has made an important move toward rationalizing its balance sheet as it enters the next phase of growth. In an agreement with its lenders and shareholders, they will raise £2.3B in the form of £500M in new equity, £960m in expansion of existing debt facilities, and £800m in a new accordion facility. The additional resources will help fund ongoing network investments as well as consolidation activity.

IQ Fiber has officially launched its FTTx services in Savannah, Georgia. The Jacksonville-based service provider has invested $50M in its expansion into the area, building out a core metro ring with redundant multi-city connections to the rest of the internet. IQ Fiber also has projects underway in Charleston SC and St. Petersburg FL. They also acquired Maryland’s ThinkBig Networks earlier this year.

Brightspeed is investing resources on the North Carolina shoreline. They are planning to extend their FTTx services to some 35K locations in Jacksonville, about an our northeast of Wilmington. That should pass some two-thirds of the the city’s total market opportunigy. Brightspeed has been building out across a wide front of underserved markets across its footprint.

Comcast Smart Solutions has announced a new municipal deal in the Atlanta suburbs. They are collaborating with the City of Tucker to upgrade the lighting infrastructure for the city’s public trail and park system. They will be rolling out WiFi, video analytics, and lighting along a public trail leading to Tucker Town Green, enabling smarter management as well as better connectivity for residents.

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Categories: Financials · FTTH · Metro fiber