Illinois-based i3 Broadband, a provider of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) services in the U.S. Midwest, on Feb. 7 announced its acquisition of Big River Broadband, primarily a commercial communications company, and its wholly owned subsidiary Circle Fiber, a fiber-optic internet provider serving southeast Missouri communities.
The combined companies allow i3 Broadband to further expand its ultra-high-speed fiber-optic footprint to residential and commercial customers across central Illinois and eastern Missouri.
i3 Broadband is expected to invest an additional $100 million in fiber deployments to grow the southeast Missouri market and provide next generation broadband services to additional communities.
Big River Broadband/Circle Fiber currently serves customers in Cape Girardeau, Perry, St. Genevieve, St. Francois, Butler, Washington, Bollinger, and Scott counties in Missouri.
The acquisition allows i3 Broadband, based in Peoria, Illinois, to leverage Big River Broadband/Circle Fiber’s fiber-optic infrastructure gigabit speed upgrades in these markets as part of the company’s rapidly expanding footprint in the region.
According to a press release, existing Big River Broadband/Circle Fiber customers with fiber infrastructure will continue to benefit from gigabit internet speed options with no data caps, full-featured fiber phone service, and fiber IPTV, as i3 Broadband looks to expand those offerings in new neighborhoods in the near future.
i3 Broadband CEO Paul Cronin commented:
“Big River Broadband/Circle Fiber shares our vision of providing customer-focused fiber optic telecommunication services to homes and businesses. Since our launch in the St. Louis market, we have been looking for a trusted partner to accelerate the growth of our footprint in Missouri. Big River Broadband/Circle Fiber is providing state of the art products and services in southeast Missouri, making it a perfect fit. We look forward to working with Big River’s outstanding leadership team, integrating as a company, and welcoming their employees to i3 Broadband.”
Big River Broadband/Circle Fiber CEO Jerry Howe remarked:
“Joining forces with i3 Broadband allows us to accelerate the expansion of the Circle Fiber network into more communities. We found i3 Broadband to have the same outlook and approach to bringing the latest communications services to customers, leveraging the exceptional capacity of fiber networks. We are excited about the new capabilities our merged companies will provide, tapping into a pent-up demand for our services.”
The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2023. The two companies said they will work towards a full integration under the i3 Broadband brand in the months to come.