Uniti Fiber Announces Multimillion-dollar Dark Fib

SHREVEPORT, La., March 16, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Uniti Fiber, a leading provider of communication infrastructure solutions for the telecommunication industry, announced today an expansion of network capabilities in the Shreveport - Bossier City region – greatly enriching communication infrastructure resources in the market to enable enhanced services and accommodate future growth.

Formed from the merger of PEG Bandwidth and Tower Cloud, Uniti Fiber is deploying a state-of-the-art dark fiber transport system throughout the region capable of delivering Ethernet services up to 200+ Gigabits per second. The company will work closely with communities and city officials across the Shreveport area during the development and construction of the project, which is expected to begin this spring and be completed by fall 2018.

“This investment brings to the Shreveport area the latest infrastructure technology and capabilities deployed in many large markets today,” said Ron Mudry, president of Uniti Fiber. “The new dark fiber infrastructure will significantly bolster the telecom capabilities of the region across all industries.”

Uniti Fiber’s multimillion-dollar investment will deploy more than 19,500 strand miles across the region. In the Shreveport area, consumers will experience the following benefits:

• Availability of dark fiber infrastructure for those enterprises which prefer to operate and manage their own network
• More robust wireless data capabilities to dramatically improve performance of streaming video, high-definition mobile, complex gaming, home-management devices (“Internet of Things”) and business applications
• High-bandwidth networks throughout the region that previously did not exist (up to 200 Gigabits per second and beyond)
• Improved capacity and capabilities for data-hungry businesses like hospitals, universities and others utilizing today’s advanced business applications
• Greater communication infrastructure accessibility to support improved business success, business development efforts and community quality of life
• High-performance, reliable and secure network for the transition to next-generation telecommunication needs

“This expansion demonstrates our strong commitment to Shreveport and the surrounding area by creating a denser fiber network that provides new and enhanced connectivity options with major commercial data centers from Dallas to Jackson, Mississippi,” Mudry said. “As a business and community development tool, superior communications networks allow regional leaders to attract businesses with rich connectivity needs. In turn, the communication infrastructure benefits help businesses appeal to top workers.”

Uniti Fiber (as PEG Bandwidth) has served portions of Northern Louisiana since 2011, supporting hundreds of customer connections. With the Shreveport expansion, Uniti Fiber is broadening its infrastructure to augment and expand fiber density in northern Louisiana.

“A strong and sustainable local and regional economy is dependent upon the communications resources available for business and residential growth,” Mudry said. “This investment solidifies potential growth opportunities for the region, particularly for industries like healthcare, data centers, financial services, and other companies requiring high-speed networks looking to establish a presence in these regions. In addition, wireless carriers and their consumers will have the potential for increased availability to today’s most sought-after network services.”

Uniti Fiber focuses its expertise and resources on providing a variety of network connectivity options from metro and suburban areas to low density markets where customers often struggle to find reliable, scalable and affordable communications solutions. The company’s growing infrastructure spans 580,000+ fiber strand miles over a 19 state region, with local access to over 2,500 municipalities and dozens of utilities. This uniquely positions Uniti Fiber to deliver customized solutions wherever customers’ toughest connectivity challenges exist.

About Uniti Fiber Uniti Fiber is a leading provider of infrastructure solutions, including cell site backhaul and small cell for wireless operators, and Ethernet, Wavelengths and Dark Fiber for telecom carriers and enterprises. Whether the challenge is improving network reach and quality, increasing capacity or maintaining cost certainty for the future, Uniti Fiber delivers a custom-designed, technology-agnostic and access-agnostic solution. Uniti Fiber is a division of Uniti Group Inc. (“Uniti”), a publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). Uniti’s common stock trades on the NASDAQ stock market under the ticker symbol: UNIT.

UNITI FIBER MEDIA CONTACTS: Greg Ortyl, 314-749-2478 VP, Sales & Marketing Greg.ortyl@uniti.com Ron Mudry, 727-471-5606 President Ron.mudry@uniti.com