SULLIVAN – MCC Network Services LLC (Metro Communications), a leading regional provider of fiber optic network, announced a definitive agreement to acquire the Southern Illinois assets of Clearwave Fiber, LLC.
The deal includes Clearwave’s Southern Illinois fiber network and related backhaul agreements from CableOne, Inc. Constructed over 15 years, Clearwave’s network supports backhaul, public safety, education, and other critical services in Southern Illinois, and the acquisition also adds its expanding FTTH residential business across multiple communities
Additional capital deployment is planned for FTTH expansion in future and currently served Southern Illinois communities.
“The Clearwave team has a long tradition of building and providing reliable network and most importantly, of serving customers across Southern Illinois. The origins of Clearwave and Metro as early rural fiber CLECs are an ideal foundation on which to continue building Enterprise and FTTH services,” said Zak Horn, CEO of Metro Communications.
“Businesses and Consumers demand reliability and value from their chosen communications provider and this transaction will support our efforts to better deliver on that promise through scale and an experienced team of professionals,” he continued.
Combined, the Metro and Clearwave networks will provide services to over 1,000 on-net towers, thousands of enterprises and will pass over 250,000 individual locations in Downstate Illinois. Anticipated to close in the first quarter of 2026, pending customary regulatory approval, Metro will work to integrate back office and field operations, further enhancing available services across the region.
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acted as financial advisor. Legal counsel to the Company was provided by DLA Piper LLP (US).
Clearwave Fiber was established in 2022 through a joint venture between Cable One, GTCR, The Pritzker Organization, and Stephens Capital Partners. The company provides advanced broadband and fiber-based services to residential and commercial customers across the Midwest and Southeast United States.
Cable One, Inc. (NYSE:CABO) is a leading broadband communications provider delivering exceptional service and enabling more than 1 million residential and business customers across 24 states to thrive and stay connected to what matters most.
Metro Communications provides all-fiber telecommunications services in Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri, serving enterprise, carrier, small business, and consumer markets with products like dark fiber, wavelengths, point-to-point, IP transit, and enhanced voice. Operating as Conxxus since 2016, Metro offers FTTH to over 200 communities, delivering reliable optical networks and quality service from local team members. The business continues to be privately owned by Founder/CEO, Zak Horn.