Nextlink CEO targets 'radical' growth with Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, fiber tailwinds at its back

Texas-based Nextlink Internet is hitting its stride as it turns ten, with founder and CEO Bill Baker stating it expects to ride a fiber frenzy and government funding opportunities to exponential growth over the next three years. The company, which was the top bidder in the Federal Communications Commission’s Connect America Fund (CAF) II auction in 2018 with $281 million in winnings, was also the number six bidder in 2020’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I auction with winnings of just over $429 million. In addition to the ongoing CAF II build and the RDOF projects ahead of it, Baker said it’s also looking to capitalize on rapid population growth in Texas that is increasing demand for its fiber service. Founded in 2012 with a focus on serving rural areas, the company got its start serving consumers with fixed wireless access technology. It began rolling out fiber in 2017, and now covers around 10 communities in Texas and one in Nebraska with the technology. All told, Nextlink operates in seven states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and South Dakota. It currently has around 85,000 subscribers, with about 80,000 of these using fixed wireless and the remainder on fiber. Looking ahead, Baker said it expects to surpass 100,000 subscribers by the end of 2022, approach 200,000 by the end of 2023 and reach 300,000 by the close of 2024. He added the latter figure will likely include around 100,000 fiber customers.