As the tech and telecom industries become more consolidated than ever before, it can be a real challenge to keep up with the all the happenings on the business and finance side of the industry.
We're here to help make sense of the mergers and acquisitions that are reshaping the industry's business landscape.
Do you think we missed something? Send us an email at [email protected]. We will continue to update this story throughout the year.
June 1 —Omni Fiber scoops up Citizens Fiber
Regional broadband operator Omni Fiber, which operates in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Texas, acquired local Pennsylvania provider Citizens Fiber.
The move deepens Omni Fiber's footprint in Westmoreland County in the western part of the state, including the towns of Latrobe, Greensburg, Mt. Pleasant, Pleasant Unity, Mammoth, Youngstown, Norvelt and surrounding communities. Omni Fiber said the move complements its plans to add 200,000 passings in Fayette, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Washington and Westmoreland Counties.
May 19 — Great Plains Communications acquires Fastwyre assets
Broadband operator Great Plains Communications announced plans to acquire provider Fastwyre's business in Nebraska, which covers more than two dozen communities including Arlington, Bellevue, Blair and Wayne. Nebraska is Great Plains Communications' largest territory, though it also provides residential and business service in Indiana, Iowa, and Kentucky.
Fastwyre will retain its business in Louisiana, Missouri, Texas, Alaska and Alabama.
“This acquisition strengthens our position in key markets, opens new opportunities for growth and builds on our 115-year history as a trusted technology partner in Nebraska," Todd Foje, CEO of Great Plains Communications, said in a statement.
May 5 — Lumen to buy cloud networking co Alkira
Lumen Technologies announced it will buy multi-cloud networking (MCN) firm Alkira for $475 million.
The acquisition will accelerate Lumen’s ambition to become the premier programmable networking platform for AI applications, said Lumen President and CFO Chris Stansbury.
Check out our full coverage of the deal for more details and analysis.
May 1 — Zayo closes $4.25B Crown Castle fiber acquisition
Telecom infrastructure company Zayo closed its multi-billion-dollar deal to buy Crown Castle’s Fiber Solutions division on May 1.
The deal, which was announced in March 2025, added 90,000 miles of route miles to Zayo’s already expansive network. Now, the network giant owns 224,000 miles of fiber in North America — and they’re still building.
For more details and analysis from industry experts, explore our full coverage here.
April 30 — Inseego buys Nokia’s FWA business
Inseego, a wireless edge solutions company, will buy Nokia’s global fixed wireless access (FWA) business. The acquisition will greatly expand Inseego’s network outside the U.S.
Nokia will take an 11% share of Inseego in exchange for its FWA assets. The companies expect to close the deal by the end of this year.
Read our full coverage to learn how the deal unfolded and what it means for Inseego’s future.
April 28 — T-Mobile set to buy $2.7B of fiber assets
As a part of its effort to put together a nation-wide fiber optic broadband network (T-Fiber), T-Mobile announced it entered joint ventures to acquire three U.S. fiber operators. T-Mobile will pay $2.7 billion for 50% stakes in GoNetspeed, Greenlight Networks and i3 Broadband.
The Tier 1 ISP will share ownership of GoNetspeed and Greenlight with Oak Hill Capital and ownership of i3 Broadband with Wren House Infrastructure. The deals will use a wholesale model wherein T-Mobile will act as the anchor tenant on each network.
For more on T-Mobile’s fiber ambitions and analysis about what acquisitions may be coming down the pike, read our full coverage here.
April 23 | Spectrotel, AireSpring merge under PE ownership
Managed network service providers Spectrotel and Airespring will merge under the primary ownership of private equity firms Charlesbank Capital Partners and Grain Management.
In a joint statement, the companies say the merger will enable the combined company to serve more customers, from small businesses to huge enterprises.
April 23 | GCI acquires Quintillion
Alaskan operator GCI struck a deal to acquire 100% of the equity in Q Gateway Intermediate Holdings (aka Quintillion), a fiber infrastructure provider in the state. The transaction will combine Quintillion’s 1,800+ miles of existing subsea and terrestrial fiber and ~1,500 miles of planned fiber expansion with GCI’s statewide network and operations, advancing GCI’s mission to deliver reliable connectivity for Alaskans.
April 23 | TDS Telecom acquires Granite State Communications
TDS Telecom announced plans to scoop up New Hampshire-based Granite State Communications, in a deal that will net TDS more than 11,000 fiber service addresses.
"By welcoming Granite State Communications into the TDS family, we are not only expanding our fiber network but also strengthening our commitment to the New Hampshire communities we serve,” said Drew Petersen, TDS Telecom Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs.
April 22 | Render acquires mPower
Render Networks acquired mPower Innovations, a company that makes infrastructure management tools for electricity and water utilities.
The deal underscores the ever-increasing interconnections between telecom, energy and water in the AI age. Gigantic data centers need a lot of all three, and Render is positioning itself to take full advantage of the demand by acquiring mPower.
Read our full coverage here for more details about the deal and an exclusive interview with Render CEO Stephen Rose.
April 21 | Truvista Fiber to acquire municipal telecom network in Georgia
Regional ISP Truvista Fiber agreed to acquire the telecommunication assets of the City of Commerce, Georgia.
The city’s network primarily brings broadband to local businesses, but Truvista has agreed to upgrade the existing infrastructure and plans to expand the network to serve residential customers, too.
April 14 | Amazon is buying Globalstar for $11B
After weeks of uncertainty, Amazon is officially acquiring Globalstar, the mobile satellite service behind Apple’s emergency SOS text feature. The deal would see Amazon buy out Globalstar at the cost of $90 per share (about $11.57 billion in total).
The deal still requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), but FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said “we’re very open minded” about the deal in an CNBC interview.
Assuming Carr gives the companies the thumbs-up, the acquisition sets up Amazon Leo (the company’s satellite division) as a serious competitor to SpaceX. Amazon Leo already has its eyes set on a direct-to-device (D2D) service it plans to deploy in early 2028.
For more on the deal and analyst commentary, check out our full coverage here.
March 12 | GFiber, Astound to merge under PE ownership
GFiber’s parent company, Alphabet, is selling a majority stake in the ISP formerly known as Google Fiber to private equity firm Stonepeak.
Stonepeak, which owns broadband provider Astound, will operate the new company with the combined assets of GFiber and Astound. The combined company would have a footprint of about 7.1 million passings according to New Street Research data.
While the exact terms of the deal aren’t public, Alphabet is expected to maintain a minority stake in the new venture. The merger is expected to close by the end of this year.
Feb. 27 | Charter, Cox $34.5B merger secures FCC approval
Charter Communications and Cox cleared a critical hurdle in their path to a merger when FCC Chairman Brendan Carr gave the companies the official go-ahead on Feb. 27.
The regulator’s decision prompted criticism from other FCC leadership and interest groups about the deal’s potential to reduce competition and the fairness of the FCC’s decision. Critics say that Charter and Cox are bending the knee to the commission by suspending their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives one day prior to the announcement. The companies also committed to having a 100% U.S.-based workforce within 18 months.
In a statement, Carr said the deal is a “big win” for Americans, “and it means that customers will get access to lower priced plans. On top of this, the deal enshrines protections against DEI discrimination.”
For more on the megamerger, read our full coverage here.
Feb. 11 | Dragonfly Internet acquires Myakka Communications
Georgia-based regional ISP Dragonfly Internet completed its acquisition of Myakka Communications, a fiber internet provider in west Florida. The deal was an important step in Dragonfly’s efforts to serve more customers in the rural areas of the states in which they operate, said CEO David Hartin.
The acquisition was financed in part by Kinetic Ventures and ITC Broadband Holdings. The terms of the deal were not publicly disclosed.
Feb. 11 | Palo Alto Networks acquires CyberArk
Cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks completed its planned acquisition of CyberArk, an Israeli identity security company.
Nikesh Arora, Palo Alto Network’s chairman and CEO, said the acquisition will aid in providing solutions to its customers’ identity security vulnerabilities and eliminating so-called “identity silos.” He says the issue, increasingly, affects non-human identities — such as AI agents — which may soon outnumber human identities in its customers’ organizations.
Feb. 10 | Ezee Fiber expands network to Dayton, Texas, with DayNet acquisition
Houston-based regional ISP Ezee Fiber is acquiring DayNet, an established fiber operator in Dayton, Texas. The deal will see Ezee take over operation of 76 miles of fiber that serves homes and businesses in Dayton, a community of 10,000 situated 30 miles east of Houston.
The deal is only the latest in a series of network expansions in Greater Houston and to other U.S. states, including New Mexico, Illinois, Oregon and Washington.
Feb. 10 | Marvell pens $540M XConn Technologies acquisition
Digital infrastructure firm Marvell is acquiring XConn Technologies, a company specializing in high-performance interconnects, for $540 million. Chairman and CEO of Marvell, Matt Murphy, said the deal will bolster the company’s connectivity offerings to better align with increased demand for AI and cloud applications.
The company is funding the buyout with 60% cash and 40% stock — which equates to about 2.5 million shares of its common stock. Read our full coverage of the deal for more details and analyst commentary.
Feb. 10 | Millicom, NJJ jointly acquire Telefónica’s Chile business
Millicom International Cellular and NJJ Holding entered a joint venture to purchase the entirety of Telefónica’s business interest in Chile. For its part, Telefónica will walk away with a $50 million closing payment and the potential for a earn-out up to $150 million, contingent on the business’ future performance.
Telefónica is expected to provide about $92 million in assurance at the time of closing for “balance sheet stability.”
Millicom — which is also known by Tigo, its consumer-facing brand name — is a Luxembourg-based telco that provides mobile and broadband internet to the South America region. It has a 49% stake in the venture and will have the first crack at a discounted buy-out of NJJ’s stake five-to-six years after the deal’s close.
The majority stakeholder, NJJ Holding, is French entrepreneur Xavier Niel’s personal investment firm. At 51%, it is the majority stakeholder in the deal. If Millicom chooses not to pursue a buy-out, NJJ will have the ability to acquire Millicom’s stake at a reduced rate in the future.
This is the second time in as many years that Millicom has set their sights on a Telefónica acquisition in South America. In 2024, Millicom announced it would seek to acquire Telefónica’s operations in Colombia and Costa Rica. At the same time, as Fierce Network then reported, Niel’s NJJ Holding was actively bidding to acquire Millicom in its entirety for as much as $4.1 billion.
Seeing as NJJ’s acquisition offers ultimately fell through, its new tact seems to fall along the lines of “if you can’t buy them, join them.”
Feb. 10 | Submer acquires Radian Arc
AI infrastructure provider Submer announced it will acquire Radian Arc, an infrastructure-as-a-service platform that runs telco-focused GPU cloud services.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but Submer said it aims to provide full-stack AI infrastructure across data centers and edge compute.
“Bringing Radian Arc together with InferX, our AI operations and delivery platform, forms a dual-plane, sovereign, telco-focused cloud offering that is highly competitive in today’s AI datacenter market," stated Submer CEO Patrick Smets.
Feb. 10 | Trane Technologies buys LiquidStack
HVAC giant Trane has acquired liquid cooling specialist LiquidStack, signaling a strategic shift beyond air cooling as demand for AI-driven, high-density data center cooling accelerates. Trane’s interest in LiquidStack dates back to 2023, when it made a minority investment in the up-and-coming liquid cooling player. The purchase price was not disclosed, but the deal includes LiquidStack’s employees as well as its manufacturing, engineering and R&D operations in Texas and Hong Kong. LiquidStack CEO Joe Capes will move over to Trane and continue to lead the business.
Read our full article here: HVAC giant Trane buys LiquidStack to bolster AI data center cooling portfolio
Feb. 5 | Pilot Fiber acquires Extenet's fiber business
Pilot Fiber, a New York-based enterprise connectivity provider, announced it acquired the enterprise fiber business of Extenet Systems. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Extenet's assets give Pilot "high-capacity fiber infrastructure" connecting Manhattan to New Jersey data center corridors, said the press release.
Feb. 2 | AT&T closes Lumen fiber-to-the-home acquisition
AT&T closed its deal to acquire Lumen's Mass Markets fiber-to-the-home business for $5.75 billion. The transaction will see AT&T expand its fiber footprint to 32 states including more than 4 million passings in major cities such as Denver, Seattle and Salt Lake City.
Check out our coverage of the deal to learn more.
Jan. 26 | IonQ acquires SkyWater Technology for $1.8B
Quantum computing firm IonQ announced it would buy chipmaker SkyWater Technology for $1.8 billion. IonQ will use SkyWater's facilities to begin testing its planned 200,000-qubit chips in 2028, according to a press release.
"With SkyWater, IonQ strengthens its position as the only vertically integrated full-stack quantum platform company, with embedded access to a Trusted U.S. foundry," the company stated.
Jan. 20 | Verizon closes $20B Frontier acquisition
Shortly after receiving California regulatory approval, Verizon closed its $20 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications on January 20. The combined companies will have a reach of nearly 30 million fiber passings across 31 states and Washington D.C.
Verizon in a press release stated the transaction "is expected to unlock significant cross-sell opportunities with access to a high-quality customer base in markets that are complementary to Verizon’s existing fiber markets."
Jan. 5 | Point Broadband merges with Clearwave Fiber
Fiber ISP Point Broadband entered an agreement to combine with Clearwave Fiber, a joint venture owned by Cable One and some private equity firms. The deal is expected to create "one of the largest independent fiber operators in the United States" across 12 states and reach more than 500,000 homes and businesses, said the press release.
Jan. 1 | Private equity firms acquire WOW! for $1.5B
DigitalBridge Group and Crestview Partners announced they have completed their previously announced acquisition of fiber ISP WideOpenWest (WOW!). The company's new owners paid $5.20 per share — about $1.5 billion in total — and took the company private at the deal's close.
"As a private company, WOW! will have strategic flexibility and resources to compete more effectively in its markets and pursue long-term growth," said Brian Cassidy, Crestview’s president and head of media, in a press release.
DigitalBridge's Senior Managing Director and Head of Fiber, Jonathan Friesel, affirmed the new owners' intention to invest in "network and customer experience enhancements."
This is a running story and will be updated periodically. Click here to explore last year's M&A tracker.