Building Broadband: Dobson Fiber commits to fiber internet expansion in Stringtown, Oklahoma; Fidium deepens Rochester, NH fiber broadband presence

Dobson Fiber commits to fiber internet expansion in Stringtown, Oklahoma
Dobson Fiber recently announced a new multi-million-dollar expansion of its fiber internet offering with a groundbreaking in Stringtown, Okla. Today, Dobson Fiber’s network includes more than 46 communities across a wide geographic area in Oklahoma and five diverse communities in Arkansas. The service provider is delivering internet speeds of up to 10 GIG to residents and 100G to businesses with low latency by leveraging Dobson’s optical middle-mile network, coupled with local area peering agreements.

Fidium deepens Rochester, NH fiber broadband presence
Fidium’s fiber broadband service is now available in Rochester, NH. , enabling symmetrical multi-gig fiber broadband service for 11,000 homes and businesses, with service coming to an additional 7,500 locations this winter. This latest expansion also includes new locations in Barrington and Farmington, where fiber first became available earlier this year. Access to fiber was celebrated in Barrington during the town’s Fall Fest, during which Fidium recognized Barrington as an official Gig Town. Over 334,000 New Hampshire homes and businesses can now connect to Fidium’s reliable fiber network, which is the most expansive in the state at over 16,800 network miles.

Henderson Municipal Power & Light builds multigigabit FTTH network with Adtran fiber access technology
Henderson Municipal Power & Light (HMP&L) is expanding broadband services across Henderson, Kentucky, using Adtran’s open fiber access platform, which is integrated with Mosaic One and GLDS BroadHub® platforms. The service provider is using Mosaic One’s Care, Operate and Promote portals, along with Mosaic Marketing Center, to enhance service quality, optimize operations and engage subscribers. Integration with GLDS BroadHub® enables faster provisioning, flexible billing and streamlined support. The deployment includes Adtran’s XGS-PON fiber access platform, SDX 6330 and SDX 8305 OLTs, 630 Series ONTs and 8600 and 8700 Series mesh Wi-Fi gateways to deliver multigigabit whole-home connectivity. HMP&L is also deploying Intellifi®, Adtran’s connected home solution, which enables a personalized, secure and insight-driven Wi-Fi experience, helping reduce support costs and increase ARPU.

Metronet Fiber hits 3M location mark
Metronet has expanded its fiber network to 3 million homes and businesses. This achievement follows Metronet being acquired by a joint venture between T-Mobile and KKR. Under its new ownership, Metronet evolved into a wholesale builder and operator of fiber networks used by T-Mobile Fiber for residential customers and microbusinesses and by Metronet itself for commercial customers. To complement its organic growth, Metronet is making strategic acquisitions. In September, Metronet completed its purchase of Minneapolis-based fiber ISP US Internet, Metronet’s seventh acquisition in seven years. In total, Metronet’s fiber network now serves more than 300 communities across 19 states, with additional state launches to be announced soon.

Omni Fiber raises $200M from Oak Hill Capital, Stonepeak Credit, and Oak Hill Advisors for Midwest and Texas expansion
Omni Fiber closed $150 million in incremental debt financing from Stonepeak Credit and Oak Hill Advisors (OHA), alongside an incremental $50 million equity investment from Oak Hill Capital. Additionally, Omni Fiber has closed a $10 million working capital facility with Republic Bank & Trust Company. Founded in 2022 by management and Oak Hill Capital, Omni Fiber has invested over $400 million in building an XGS-PON fiber network and is on track to reach approximately 340,000 locations by the end of 2025. The financing from Stonepeak Credit and OHA, which follows a previous $150 million in debt financing from Stonepeak Credit announced in July 2024, will fund Omni Fiber's continued expansion into more communities throughout the Midwest and Texas. Construction is in progress in approximately 25 communities, and network design and engineering activities are ongoing in many others.

Spectrum expands fiber broadband network in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
Spectrum has expanded its fiber broadband network to bring Spectrum Internet, Mobile, TV and Voice services to more than 3,500 additional homes and businesses in previously unserved or underserved areas of Sheboygan County, including the towns of Plymouth, Sheboygan Falls, Herman and Rhine. The service provider’s multi-year rural construction initiative is driven by more than $7 billion in private investment from Spectrum and will ultimately add over 100,000 miles of fiber network infrastructure and deliver symmetrical and multi-gigabit speeds to more than 1.7 million new locations across the country.

TDS completes network upgrades to entire Grant County, Wisconsin, footprint
TDS Telecommunications has completed a major network upgrade project and is now delivering high-speed fiber-based internet to more than 1,200 locations throughout rural Grant County, Wisconsin. Residents and businesses in Beetown, Ellenboro, Harrison, Lancaster, North and South Lancaster, Liberty, Little Grant, Potosi, and Waterloo can now access internet speeds up to 1 Gbps. TDS invested $7.1 million to complete the network upgrades, building off a combination of public support. In late 2023, TDS-owned Farmer’s Telephone Company received more than $1.6 million from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to deliver fiber connectivity to over 800 addresses. TDS also upgraded an additional 400 addresses, in part by leveraging funds from the FCC’s Enhanced Alternative Connect America Model (E-ACAM) program, designed to support broadband connectivity in high-cost rural America.

Wecom Fiber kicks off Prescott, Arizona fiber build
Prescott leaders and Wecom Fiber officials recently commemorated the beginning of construction on a fiber broadband network to serve the community. Wecom's $38 million broadband project is privately-financed with no taxpayer dollars involved. Upon completion, the fiber broadband network will serve about 26,000 Prescott homes and businesses. In August, the Prescott City Council voted unanimously to grant a fiber installation license to Wecom. Construction is expected to be completed by early 2027, though many locations will be able to subscribe to service well before that. Yavapai County Chairwoman Mary Mallory noted that Wecom already has fiber broadband projects underway in multiple communities across the county. In 2024, the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors awarded Wecom an $8.1 million grant to bring fiber broadband to approximately 6,500 homes in rural or unincorporated areas. Separately, Wecom broke ground this summer on a $35 million, privately-financed broadband network in Prescott Valley. In addition to its work in Prescott, Prescott Valley and multiple other communities across Yavapai County, Wecom also has partnerships with Coconino, Mohave, Pinal and La Paz counties, and is installing a $45 million fiber broadband network in Flagstaff.