FirstLight acquires 1,800 route-mile fiber network in PA

 FirstLight completed its acquisition of the majority of the assets of the Pennsylvania-based Keystone Initiative for Network Based Education and Research (KINBER) whose assets include a 1,800-route mile fiber network in Pennsylvania and related customer contracts. KINBER will continue in its mission to provide research and education access, investing in underserved and unserved communities, and positioning Pennsylvania to be a leader in broadband and broadband technology. FirstLight will continue to support KINBER’s networking needs.

FirstLight own and operates a fiber network extending 25,000 miles across the north eastern United States.

FirstLight has invested significantly in the Pennsylvania market over the past 12 months, adding a dedicated Pennsylvania sales team and approximately 1,000 miles of new fiber to its network, including builds in Allentown, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Scranton, Reading and Wilkes-Barre.

“In addition to acquiring an important fiber route in Pennsylvania, we are excited to serve the prestigious, world renowned higher education institutions, K-12, government, and health care customers in Pennsylvania that KINBER so aptly cultivated over the years,” said Kurt Van Wagenen, FirstLight President and CEO.

https://www.firstlight.net/explore-our-network/

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Antin Infrastructure Partners to acquire FirstLight

Antin Infrastructure Partners (Antin) agreed to acquire FirstLight, a leading fiber-optic bandwidth infrastructure services provider operating in the Northeast U.S., from Oak Hill Capital Partners IV. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Antin is a leading independent private equity firm focused on infrastructure investments.

FirstLight originally started as an Albany, New York-focused fiber provider and expanded through the acquisitions of segTEL in New Hampshire and Maine; TelJet in Vermont; G4 Communications in New Hampshire; Oxford Networks in Maine and New Hampshire; Sovernet Communications in Vermont and New York; 186 Communications in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont; and Finger Lakes Technologies Group in New York and Pennsylvania.

"We have tremendous respect for all that FirstLight has accomplished to date. We are delighted to be backing Kurt Van Wagenen and his talented team to continue the company's growth strategy, leveraging the success that Antin has had with communications and fiber investments in Europe," said Kevin Genieser, Senior Partner at Antin.

"We are thrilled about this exciting development.  Antin is an experienced fiber investor and an ideal partner to support our growth strategy.  With this acquisition, FirstLight remains well positioned to continue providing the highest levels of service and expanded offerings to enterprise and carrier customers," said Kurt Van Wagenen, President and Chief Executive Officer of FirstLight.\

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FirstLight Provides Dark Fibre for Wireless Carrier in New England

FirstLight, a fibre bandwidth infrastructure services provider operating in New York and northern New England, announced a long-term dark fibre contract with a major wireless carrier for the implementation of a new metropolitan CRAN ring throughout Manchester, New Hampshire, Biddeford, Maine and Burlington, Vermont.

FirstLight stated that the fibre networks have been designed to support additional small cell deployments across smaller, Tier 2 and 3 markets throughout the region. In addition, the service provider's solutions are also available to enterprise customers along the newly built routes in New England.

The company noted that small cell technology is advancing as wireless carriers seek efficient solutions able to deliver network management and greater network capacity as traffic increases. While noting that mobile carriers have to date focused on expanding infrastructure in metro markets and the rural and remote market for small cells is in its early stages, FirstLight stated that according to industry estimates deployments will increase from around 8,150 units in 2014 to 87,644 units by 2020.

The company believes that the recent deployment in New England demonstrates that wireless carriers are beginning to turn their attention to Tier 2 and 3 markets, where they will build out non-macro cell site network infrastructure to support traffic growth and prepare for the future evolution to 5G.

FirstLight noted that this agreement is the latest in a number of projects completed throughout its footprint that will bring fibre-based connectivity to macro and non-macro sites for multiple wireless carriers.

FirstLight recently announced that owner Oak Hill Capital Partners had completed the acquisition of Sovernet Communications and combined the operations of the two companies. Sovernet offers high-capacity network transport, broadband Internet, data centre and voice services in Vermont and New York leveraging a network spanning approximately 3,300 fibre route miles in New York and 1,300 fibre route miles in Vermont.

Combined with the previous acquisitions of Oxford Networks and Finger Lakes Technologies Group, FirstLight has a regional network comprising around 12,000 route miles of fibre across six states and connecting to Montreal, Canada, with more than 5,000 lit locations, 7,000 on-net locations, access to 20,000 near-net locations and 12 data centres.

http://www.firstlight.net

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FirstLight partners with f6networks to provide U.S.-Canada transport services

FirstLight Fiber of Albany, New York, a fibre-optic bandwidth infrastructure services provider operating in the northeast U.S., announced today that it has entered into a partnership with f6networks, the owner and operator of a high-capacity fibre link that provides transport between New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec in Canada to locations throughout the northeast U.S.

FirstLight noted that the relationship began when it collaborated with f6networks on a solution for a large industrial enterprise customer in Canada. FirstLight operates a connection from Calais, Maine to St. Stephen, New Brunswick that allowed the companies to implement a reliable, end-to-end solution offering cost effective, wholesale pricing to support the customer's call centre operations.

Following this initial collaboration, FirstLight and f6networks sought to further leverage the partnership and have launched lit services for customers with locations in both the U.S. and Canada that require a reliable connectivity solution.

The FirstLight network comprises 9,600 route miles of fibre and serves more than 5,000 lit locations, with access to 20,000 near net locations, in six states with connectivity to Montreal. f6networks is a fibre-based telco serving Atlantic Canada and providing connectivity solutions worldwide through partners.

Recently, FirstLight Fiber announced that owner Oak Hill Capital Partners had completed the acquisition of Sovernet Communications and combined the operations of the two companies. Sovernet offers high-capacity network transport, broadband Internet, data centre and voice services in Vermont and New York. The acquisition added approximately 3,300 fibre route miles across New York, 1,300 fibre route miles in Vermont and Sovernet's data centre in Burlington, Vermont.

Together with the previous acquisitions of Oxford Networks and Finger Lakes Technologies Group, FirstLight will operate a regional network comprising approximately 12,000 route miles of fibre across six states and Canada, with more than 7,000 on-net locations and 12 data centres.

https://www.firstlight.net/

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Northeast region operator FirstLight to acquire FLTG serving New York and Pennsylvania

FirstLight Fiber, a fibre bandwidth infrastructure services provider operating in New York and northern New England, announced its intent to acquire Finger Lakes Technologies Group (FLTG), a subsidiary of Trumansburg Telephone Company (TTC) that provides data, Internet and voice solutions to business customers across New York and Pennsylvania.

The company stated that the acquisition of FLTG is intended to strengthen FirstLight's position as a leading fibre communications provider in the Northeast region. The transaction will combine FLTG's privately owned fibre network, which spans nearly 2,500 route miles in New York state and Pennsylvania, with FirstLight's 9,500-plus route mile fibre network and data, Internet, data centre, cloud and voice services.

Through the transaction, FirstLight will be able to offer increased fibre density in the upstate New York area, and expand its service offering in the northern Pennsylvania region. Headquartered in Victor, FLTG and its parent companies employ 140 people, with offices in Buffalo, Binghamton, Norwich, Phelps, Romulus and Trumansburg.

Based in Albany, New York, FirstLight provides fibre data, Internet, data centre and voice services to enterprise and carrier customers throughout the Northeast, connecting more than 5,000 locations to services and with a further 20,000 locations serviceable over its fibre network.

FirstLight offers a portfolio of high bandwidth connectivity solutions including Ethernet, wavelength and dark fibre services, as well as data centre, cloud and voice services. Customers includes national cellular providers and wireline carriers, enterprises, the education sector and local and state governments.

The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2017, following the satisfaction of customary regulatory and shareholder approvals. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

https://www.firstlight.net/

• In January, FirstLight, a company of Oak Hill Capital Partners, completed similar transactions with Oxford Networks and Sovernet Communications. Oak Hill Capital Partners completed its acquisition of Oxford Networks and combined the operations with FirstLight, with Novacap, Bank Street Capital Partners and Riverside Partners continuing as minority investors in the combined company. The Sovernet transaction is expected to close early in 2017 following receipt of customary regulatory approvals.

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