wiredInUSA February 2019

US-based telecommunications company Bluebird Network will be acquired by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners (MIP). Bluebird provides high-bandwidth networks in rural andurbanareas throughout theMidwest, focusing on connecting rural areas to major cities. It provides a variety of network services to enterprise and carrier customers; its fiber optic infrastructure connects to the Bluebird underground data center, an underground co-location facility in Springfield, Missouri. Managed by the Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) division of Macquarie Group, MIP partnered with Uniti to finance the transaction. Uniti will acquire Bluebird’s fiber network – currently undergoing a 45-mile fiber route expansion – to be leased back to Bluebird under a long-term lease. Bluebird will also acquire Uniti’s midwestern fiber business and receive a long-term lease over Uniti’s midwestern fiber network of approximately 2,500 miles, predominantly in Illinois. Upon completion of the transactions, the two adjacent networks will be combined and operatedas onecompany under the Bluebird name. The company will be operated by the existing Bluebird management team and employees, headquartered in Columbia.

Midwest fiber changes

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wiredInUSA - February 2019