It’s always mergers and acquisitions season in the world of fiber. Last month, Lightower and Crown Castle added thousands of miles of fiber in billion-dollar acquisitions. But Charter’s acquisition of Time Warner Cable just dwarfed those figures. Luckily, FiberLocator is always prepared for the next $56.7-billion acquisition – take a peek at our process.
Pending Mergers
Headlines are headlines – but we wait for the official word. We hold off on any changes to the fiber line labels within FiberLocator while a deal is pending. In the case of the recent M&A news, the Lightower and Crown Castle deals are still pending – so Fibertech and Sunesys are still listed as independent fiber providers in our database under their old name.
Closed Acquisitions
When a transaction closes, we list the acquired company in parentheses for six months. So, once the Lightower and Crown Castle deals are complete, our database listings for Fibertech and Sunesys will be updated to the following labels:
- Fibertech (Lightower)
- Sunesys (Crown Castle)
The team at FiberLocator is proactive in its tracking of active deals and the closing process so that our data is accurate and the labels change as soon as possible.
Six Months Later
After six months, we combine the data of the merged companies together and work with the carriers to retrieve an updated map/lit building list. From that point on, the acquiring company name is associated with the acquired company’s fiber routes. So you’ll no longer see Fibertech’s name, only Lightower, and no more Sunesys, only Crown Castle.
But there are always exceptions to the rule. Level 3 may have acquired tw telecom, but we’re keeping the Level 3 parenthetical on their lit building list because the two networks can’t directly connect with one another.
Not only is FiberLocator primed and ready to update its carrier labels during mergers and acquisitions, but we’re always excited to add new map layers, carrier locations, and data center listings. Stay tuned for more updates, and contact us if you know of a carrier or lit building that’s not listed in FiberLocator.
