Telecommunications Acquisitions in North Carolina

Ripple Fiber, a Charlotte-based fiber network operator, has acquired BridgeNET Fiber of Statesville, North Carolina, with the deal closing June 4, 2025. The transaction brings BridgeNET's team and assets into Ripple Fiber and supports a projected expansion to 18,000 passings in Statesville, accelerating local fiber deployment and expanding Ripple Fiber's North Carolina presence.

Palistar Capital combined the pool of wireless assets managed by its affiliate Symphony Wireless with its portfolio company CTI Towers, creating a new combined platform named Symphony Towers Infrastructure to operate approximately 3,000 tower, rooftop and non-traditional cell sites across the U.S. The move consolidates management and operations to drive scale, create operational efficiencies and support continued organic and inorganic growth of the wireless tower portfolio.

Houston-based Ezee Fiber acquired Conterra Networks’ New Mexico fiber assets, adding 128 miles of installed fiber across Santa Fe, Rio Rancho and Los Lunas. Terms were not disclosed; Ezee Fiber said the deal will accelerate its FTTH deployment and broader New Mexico expansion as part of a multi-state growth plan.

Novacap, a North American private equity firm, announced a partnership with Communications Tower Group I LLC (CTG), making CTG the third portfolio company within Novacap's Digital Infrastructure platform. CTG, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and founded in 2015, is a developer and operator of communications tower infrastructure focused on supporting wireless network deployments including 5G.

T‑Mobile and EQT formed a joint venture (backed by EQT Infrastructure VI) to acquire fiber‑to‑the‑home provider Lumos from EQT Infrastructure III. The JV will combine T‑Mobile's retail, brand and customer capabilities with EQT's infrastructure expertise to scale Lumos' fiber network and transition it to a wholesale model with T‑Mobile as the anchor tenant, with plans to reach ~3.5 million homes passed by 2028.

M/C Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm, has made a significant growth investment in celito to support expansion of the company's fiber network and service offerings. The capital will accelerate celito’s growth in Raleigh and beyond while bringing in telecom veteran Danny Bottoms as CEO to scale the business.

Kane Infrastructure Services, an Aterian Investment Partners portfolio company, has acquired Premiere Communications & Consulting, a Raleigh-based communications infrastructure services provider, to expand Kane’s footprint in the Carolinas. The acquisition adds Premiere’s design, build and maintenance capabilities and offices in Raleigh, Charlotte, Charleston and Myrtle Beach to Kane’s nationwide platform.

USTC Corp, a Carlyle-backed value-added distributor of telecommunications materials, has acquired Walker and Associates Inc. from the founding Walker family. The add-on expands USTC's U.S. footprint and customer base—bringing additional locations, supplier relationships and telecom distribution and supply-chain capabilities to support broadband, 5G and enterprise network deployments.

National OnDemand, Inc., a Burlington, North Carolina-based communications and utilities infrastructure provider, has completed the acquisition of A+ Communications, a last‑mile telecommunications installation services provider founded in 2001. The A+ management team will remain in place while National OnDemand provides corporate support as it expands its national footprint and last‑mile capabilities.

Grain Management, a private investment firm focused on broadband and communications, has acquired Network Wireless Solutions (NWS), a Durham, North Carolina-based provider of custom hybrid and fiber-optic cables and cell-site services. The partnership will leverage Grain’s sector expertise and relationships to scale NWS’s product and services offerings to support continued expansion of telecommunications networks.

Cox Communications has acquired the commercial services business of Segra from EQT Infrastructure (EQT Infrastructure III fund), a divestiture that expands Cox's fiber footprint and enterprise/carrier offerings across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. EQT will retain Segra's residential and SMB operations (Lumos Networks and NorthState) and plans to accelerate FTTP buildout; Segra's commercial unit will operate as a stand-alone business within Cox with existing management retained.

DISH Network announced on March 8, 2021 that it will acquire Republic Wireless, an MVNO operating on the T‑Mobile network, including approximately 200,000 customer relationships and the Republic brand. The Relay division of Republic will remain a standalone business in Raleigh and become a wholesale customer on DISH’s 5G network.

Melody Investment Advisors LP entered into a definitive agreement to acquire CTI Towers, Inc., a Cary, North Carolina–based owner and manager of approximately 1,150 wireless towers across 47 U.S. states. CTI Towers was majority owned by Comcast Ventures; terms were not disclosed and the CTI management team will remain in place as Melody expands its communications infrastructure portfolio.

Affiliates of APG Group NV and Fiera Infrastructure, with significant participation from Conterra senior management, agreed to acquire the remaining indirect equity interests in Conterra Networks from affiliates of Court Square Capital Partners and other holders. The transaction positions Conterra as a platform to accelerate US fiber network expansion through organic builds and acquisitions, targeting growth in Tier II and Tier III markets.

ElectriCom has acquired DataWatt Solutions, a Linwood, North Carolina-based fiber optics installation, maintenance and emergency restoration services provider. The deal, supported by ElectriCom's partner KLH Capital and financed by First Financial Bank, expands ElectriCom's presence and capabilities across the Carolinas.

Tower Engineering Professionals (TEP), backed by Prairie Capital V, acquired Utilis Engineering to expand TEP’s capabilities into fiber-optic and small-cell engineering, strengthening its telecom engineering, maintenance, inspection and site-acquisition services. The deal is an add-on to TEP’s national platform and is intended to accelerate service-line expansion, broaden channel reach, and create cross-selling opportunities between the businesses.

An affiliate of Lone Star Funds has acquired A Wireless (formerly Z Wireless), a Greenville, North Carolina–based wireless retailer with more than 600 stores across 31 states, from Atlantic Street Capital. Atlantic Street Capital said the sale represented a successful exit for its investment; William Blair served as exclusive financial advisor and Morrison Cohen served as legal advisor to A Wireless.

ADVA Optical Networking SE acquired Morrisville, North Carolina-based Overture Networks for an initial $35 million (with up to $5 million in conditional earn-out) to strengthen its NFV and Ethernet access capabilities. The deal combines ADVA's optical and access hardware with Overture's Ensemble NFV software and orchestration tools, expands ADVA's footprint in North America and adds roughly 178 employees.