Uniti Announces Network Expansion in Huntsville Through Large Hyperscaler Contract Award

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., April 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Uniti Group Inc. (“Uniti”) (Nasdaq: UNIT) is pleased to announce a significant network expansion in Huntsville, Alabama, one of Uniti’s existing 30 enterprise markets. This network expansion, which will span approximately 70 route miles when complete, will support one of its strategic hyperscale customers.

Through a recently signed 20 year contract, Uniti is providing multiple conduits and high-strand count fiber to its hyperscale customer in order to connect key data center locations within the Huntsville metropolitan area, as well as tie-in diverse, long-haul routes connecting Huntsville to other regional and national data center markets.

“We are excited to expand our relationship with this existing hyperscale customer in one of the fastest growing cities in the country,” said Greg Ortyl, Uniti’s President of Wholesale & Strategic Accounts. “With the explosion of generative Artificial Intelligence applications and the related power requirements, we have seen Uniti’s southeastern tier-two and tier-three markets become more attractive to the hyperscaler segment as they identify areas with excess power availability.”

The Huntsville market is a great example of Uniti’s overall lease-up strategy. Uniti first launched this market in 2007 for a strategic government customer to connect key locations and immediately began selling to enterprise customers near that deployed network, highlighted by a sizeable biotechnology customer contract in 2015. Uniti then began providing fiber infrastructure to local school districts beginning in 2016. In the following years, Uniti was awarded several contracts by large wireless carriers to deploy fiber-based Ethernet backhaul to macro cell sites and dark fiber fronthaul to small cells. Uniti now counts healthcare organizations, K-12 and higher education institutions, data centers, biotechnology companies, wireless carriers and hyperscalers as customers within this market.

Uniti plans to deliver these fiber routes to its customer over the next two years, and once complete, will own 190 route miles of dark and lit infrastructure within the Huntsville market.

ABOUT UNITI

Uniti, an internally managed real estate investment trust, is engaged in the acquisition and construction of mission critical communications infrastructure and is a leading provider of fiber and other wireless solutions for the communications industry. As of December 31, 2023 Uniti owns approximately 140,000 fiber route miles, 8.5 million fiber strand miles, and other communications real estate throughout the United States. Additional information about Uniti can be found on its website at www.uniti.com.

SALES CONTACTS:

Ron Mudry, 727-421-0388
Senior Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer
ron.mudry@uniti.com

Greg Ortyl, 314-749-2478
President, Wholesale & Strategic Accounts
greg.ortyl@uniti.com 

INVESTOR and MEDIA CONTACTS:

Paul Bullington, 251-662-1512
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer
paul.bullington@uniti.com

Bill DiTullio, 501-850-0872
Vice President, Investor Relations & Treasury
bill.ditullio@uniti.com