Ziply Fiber raises $450 million for FTTP in the U.S. Northwest, promotes execs
Ziply Fiber says it has raised $450 million to further fund expansion of its fiber network in the U.S. Northwest. All current Ziply investors participated in the round; they include WaveDivision Capital, LLC, Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P., Public Sector Pension Investment Board, British Columbia Investment Management Corp., and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
Ziply was created when WaveDivision Capital acquired Frontier’s network assets in that region of the country (see “Ziply Fiber new name for former Frontier Communications northwest operations”). The company says it has upgraded its copper network to fiber in more than 80 markets across the four states in which it operates (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana) in two years, with plans to make the same transition in additional markets. The new money will go towards such efforts as well as supporting edge-out expansions.
“Since founding the company, we’ve been committed to bringing ultra-fast, reliable fiber internet to our local area neighbors and businesses and helping to close the digital divide in many rural and suburban communities across the Northwest,” said Harold Zeitz, CEO of Ziply Fiber. “The combination of our operational expertise and the capital raised today, positions Ziply Fiber to serve more markets than ever before.”
At the same time it announced the funding, Ziply also announced a pair of executive promotions. Chris Denzin, who has led the residential and small business units, is now chief operating officer. Denzin will be tasked with oversight of residential and commercial sales, customer care, field operations, and product development.
Ziply also elevated Rob Griffith to the new position of chief, fiber design and construction to oversee all fiber expansion.
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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