Lightpath, a prominent all-fiber connectivity provider, has announced its agreement to acquire most of United Fiber and Data’s (UFD) assets. This acquisition, pending regulatory approval, is anticipated to be finalized in the third quarter of 2024.
UFD operates a unique 323-route mile, high-fiber count network between New York City and Ashburn, VA, connecting the nation’s largest population center to the world’s largest data center hub. Additionally, UFD maintains a 79-route mile metro network in New York City and New Jersey, with connectivity to over 350 enterprise and data center locations. This includes a high-fiber count crossing of the Hudson River, enhancing Lightpath’s existing crossings.
UFD’s network features high-fiber counts and cutting-edge optical technologies, supporting dark fiber, Ethernet, and wavelengths up to 800 Gbps. This network is geographically diverse from typical I-95 corridor routes and will augment Lightpath’s extensive 20,000-route mile network, connecting more than 15,000 service locations, including over 140 data centers and 7 cable landing stations. This integration will enable Lightpath to provide high-capacity services from commercial buildings, cable landing stations, and data centers along the East Coast directly to the Ashburn ecosystem.
Chris Morley, CEO of Lightpath, remarked, “The acquisition of United Fiber & Data extends our Greater New York City Metropolitan fiber assets, boosting our capacity to serve high-capacity customers into the Ashburn data center ecosystem and significantly enhancing our Manhattan metro coverage.”
Customers of UFD will benefit from access to Lightpath’s comprehensive network and service portfolio, including Wavelengths, Ethernet, Internet, Private Networks, Dark Fiber, LP FlexNet, Voice, Security Solutions, and Managed Services. They will also be able to connect to over 140 data centers, 7 cable landing stations, and all major cloud providers, thereby expanding their connectivity options and service capabilities.
