Virginia Fiber Express clears state licensing hurdle for first phase of six-phase network

As data center campuses push south of Northern Virginia in search of land and power, a new fiber network aims to give hyperscale and AI operators a path that steers clear of the increasingly congested Interstate 95 corridor. Virginia Fiber Express Networks LLC, a subsidiary of Infraforward Strategies LLC, announced that it had secured competitive local exchange carrier and interexchange carrier operating licenses, along with land use permits, from the Commonwealth of Virginia. The approvals clear the way for the construction of Phase 1 of what the company describes as a planned six-phase fiber network eventually linking parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland. Virginia Fiber Express Networks was registered in Virginia in March 2025, though the broader network concept—headquartered in Fredericksburg and Richmond—has been in development for roughly two years, according to the company.