Ziply Rolls Out Expansion Plans on One-Year Anniversary

Ziply Fiber rolled out expansion plans on Friday, April 30. The date marked the company’s one-year anniversary. The expansion will focus mostly on smaller and rural towns, bringing gig-speed fiber internet service to 22 markets across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana this calendar year.

The expansion will focus mostly on smaller and rural towns. It’s part of the company’s multiyear $500 million investment in its network and improved service in both urban and rural settings throughout the region.

Ziply Fiber began operations on April 30, 2020, taking over the Northwest assets and operations of Frontier Communications. Frontier sold the assets to WaveDivision Capital in partnership with Searchlight Capital Partners for $1.35 billion.

The company immediately launched a four-state fiber expansion, part of a multiyear program to invest $500 million in its network and improved service.

Since that time, Ziply has hired more than 400 new employees and laid more than 1,000 miles of new fiber. This will help improve internet connectivity in rural areas, putting them on par with larger metropolitan areas. They have also added thousands of customers to the new fiber network. Last week the company launched operations in Moscow, Idaho, their 16^th new fiber market in the past year.

Ziply’s expansion plans are still in early-stage development and permitting, but they expect to turn-up service by Labor Day to tens of thousands of homes, apartments and businesses in the four-state area.

Opportunities for Channel Partners

Ziply Fiber’s Chris Gellos

Chris Gellos is Ziply Fiber’s vice president and general manager of commercial. “With every mile of fiber we build, we are creating numerous opportunities for agents to serve customers with a better, faster network,” he told Channel Futures. “These opportunities are often in areas where fiber was not previously available. For a sales agent, this is a gold mine.”

Ziply Fiber’s Harold Zeitz

“These markets represent just the beginning,” said Harold Zeitz, Ziply’s CEO. “We’re currently drawing up plans for additional builds this coming fall and winter in all four states.”

In mid-April, Ziply launched its agent channel program. Among its first 20 channel partners are AppSmart, Intelisys, Sandler Partners, TBI and Telarus.