Canada telecom firm buying Ziply Fiber

Ziply Fiber, which serves North Idaho and the surrounding region, is being acquired by Bell Canada, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BCE Inc., Canada’s largest communications company, a press release said Monday. The deal was for $5 billion in cash and the assumption of outstanding net debt of about $2 billion.

“This acquisition marks a bold milestone in Bell’s history as we lean into our fiber expertise and expand our reach beyond our Canadian borders," said Mirko Bibic, president and CEO of BCE and Bell Canada, in a press release. "By bringing together Bell and Ziply Fiber’s exceptional talent, we’ll accelerate our growth while continuing to deliver significant value for our customers and shareholders.” 

Ziply Fiber has more than 1.3 million fiber locations across four U.S. states and plans to reach more than 3 million locations in the next four years. Upon closing of this acquisition, Bell will be poised to expand its fiber footprint to over 12 million locations across North America by the end of 2028, the release said.

In 2021, Ziply Fiber announced it had completed a key phase of the fiber-optic network build-out in Coeur d’Alene and Hayden Lake to deliver gig-speed fiber internet with no data caps, and "an all-new, state-of-the-art network" to area residents and businesses.

Dan Miller, Ziply Fiber senior vice president based in Seattle, said there will be no change to the Ziply Fiber name, brand, leadership or how the company operates. 

"In fact, the even bigger news is with the additional capital from the transaction, it means Ziply Fiber will be able to expand the scope of its fiber build to include even more communities in the Pacific Northwest with more fiber locations and at a faster pace," he wrote in an email to The Press.