Intrepid Fiber Networks enhances Southern California reach with Ubiquity fiber asset deal

The acquisition adds over 35,000 fiber passings in San Diego County and advances Intrepid’s open-access platform in a core California growth market.

Key Highlights

  • Intrepid Fiber Networks is acquiring Ubiquity’s Southern California fiber network, adding 35,000 fiber passings in San Diego County.
  • The deal will expand Intrepid’s service area to over 100,000 homes and businesses across California.
  • The acquisition supports Intrepid’s open-access broadband strategy, maintaining wholesale network operations.
  • Operations and staff from Ubiquity’s Southern California team will transition to Intrepid’s management post-closing.
  • Network construction will continue and accelerate, with the deal expected to close in late 2026.

Intrepid Fiber Networks, a Brookfield-backed open-access fiber infrastructure platform, has signed a deal to acquire Ubiquity’s Southern California network, reflecting the ongoing consolidation of the growing fiber broadband market.

With one stroke, this acquisition adds an established, in-service fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network across San Diego County to Intrepid’s growing California footprint and accelerates Intrepid’s open-access strategy in one of the nation’s fastest-growing markets.

This acquisition is about scale. Intrepid immediately gains 35,000 fiber passings that span the communities of Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad, and Oceanside in San Diego County.

It complements Intrepid’s active fiber construction in Corona, Riverside, Vista and San Marcos; on a combined basis, Intrepid’s San Diego County networks will serve more than 100,000 homes and businesses.

After it meets customary closing conditions and applicable regulatory approvals, Intrepid expects the deal to close in late 2026. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“This transaction accelerates our California strategy and is a natural complement to the construction we already have underway in the state,” said Jack Waters, CEO of Intrepid Fiber Networks.

Maintaining open access

While still an evolving segment of broadband, Intrepid Fiber reflects growing interest in open-access broadband networks.

Outside of California, Intrepid Fiber also operates in various markets in Colorado and Minnesota. In several of these markets, Intrepid Fiber has partnered with T-Mobile Fiber to offer service to consumers and businesses.

When it completes its acquisition of Ubiquiti’s Southern California operations, it will remain a wholesale open-access model, like Intrepid’s existing network base.

Waters noted the acquisition is a bolt-on deal that allows it to expand over time. 

“We are adding a well-engineered, in-service network with an established customer base, durable municipal relationships and a proven open-access deployment, doing so in a market our team knows well,” he said. “Our objective from here is to integrate and scale the network.”

Focus on continuity

A key element of the acquisition is maintaining continuity of operations and an eye on network expansion.

When the acquisition closes, operations and employees of Ubiquity’s Southern California network will transition under Intrepid’s management, with customers continuing to receive the same service through their existing Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

As part of the transaction, Ubiquity's Southern California team, which has overseen the network, will transition to Intrepid.

While it did lay out specific plans, Intrepid said network construction will continue at an accelerated pace as it expands its services across the region.

For related articles, visit the Broadband Topic Center.
For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
To stay abreast of fiber network deployments, subscribe to Lightwave’s Service Providers and Datacom/Data Center newsletters.

About the Author

Sean Buckley

Sean is responsible for establishing and executing the editorial strategy of Lightwave across its website, email newsletters, events, and other information products.

Sign up for our eNewsletters
Get the latest news and updates
fiber
How Fixed Access Network Sharing (FANS) + SRv6 can create a programmable, multi-tenant access framework for the next decade of services.
Fiber
Having an arsenal of swappable building blocks that allow for continued scaling as a service provider's subscriber base grows can keep fiber operational costs in check.