Cox Communications Wraps Buy of Fiber Provider Unite Private Networks

Cox Communications, continuing its investment in network infrastructure providers of the last couple of years, closed its purchase of commercial fiber provider Unite Private Networks (UPN) for an undisclosed price. UPN will be combined with earlier Cox acquisition Segra as a standalone company under CEO Kevin Hart, the former Cox technology chief. Cox has been buying network infrastructure assets—including cloud services providers RapidScale and Logicworks—after parent company Cox Enterprises shifted away from TV and radio station assets, selling majority stakes in the stations to Apollo Management Group in 2019. The UPN acquisition, though, goes back to 2016, when Cox bought a majority interest in partnership with Ridgemont Equity Partners and UPN management. UPN is based in Kansas, City (MO) and is in more than 300 communities across 21 states, with 12,000 fiber route miles and 9,500 end customer sites. It is one of the largest providers of fiber WAN services to K-12 school districts in the US, serving more than 250 school districts, connecting nearly 2 million students, Cox said. Segra and UPN will operate as separate brands for the near future, Cox said.