Fiber Minnesota merges with fiber transport carriers to create 3,900 mile network

Fiber Minnesota merged with two other fiber transport carriers – Broadband Visions (BBV) and SM Broadband (SMB) – to create what it says is one of the state’s largest transport networks. The new entity will operate under the Fiber Minnesota brand. It will have a backbone of 3,900 route miles, which is 60 percent more than the network had before the move. The newly constituted company will reach “nearly all corners of the state,” including rural areas that often are left behind, with redundant connectivity. The company also noted that the combination makes sense since principals share multiple shareholders and have significant overlap. The members of BBV and SMB now are shareholders in Fiber Minnesota. Most of the members are operating companies/ ISPs serving rural areas of the state. Member companies also come from South and North Dakota. BBV will continue to operate its video headend and Internet Services division. SMB has completely merged into Fiber Minnesota. Fiber Minnesota initially emerged from a 2020 deal in which fiber network operator Cooperative Network Services acquired the West Central Transport Group fiber network and integrated the two networks.