[Image: TechAnimationStock/Shutterstock; DI Studio]

Dallas-based Gigabit Fiber is expanding the high-speed infrastructure that powers data centers across Texas and Arizona. The company has selected Nokia and systems integrator LightRiver to accelerate the delivery of faster, lower-latency fiber connections designed for AI and cloud workloads.

The planned buildout will link Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Phoenix, providing high-capacity connectivity for data centers, hyperscalers, and enterprise customers. According to a LightRiver announcement, Gigabit can now activate new on-net connections “in just days,” a shorter turnaround that could give large network buyers faster access to critical bandwidth.

“Together with Nokia and LightRiver, we’re building the foundation that fuels innovation and growth in the AI era,” said Chris Degelia, partner and general manager at Gigabit Fiber, in a statement.

The expansion uses Nokia’s 1830 GX optical platform, designed to deliver greater bandwidth with lower power consumption. LightRiver is managing the network’s design and integration. The two companies described the project as scalable and energy-efficient, part of a broader effort to modernize metro-to-metro fiber routes for the data demands of the AI era.

Delivering ‘future-proof infrastructure’

“This expansion strengthens key technology corridors in North America and provides the foundation for growth in AI and cloud services,” said Jeff Dean, vice president of North America Channels for Nokia. “With trusted, carrier-grade performance, Nokia and LightRiver are enabling Gigabit Fiber to deliver future-proof infrastructure that powers modern data centers and accelerates digital innovation.”

Matt Briley, senior vice president of sales for LightRiver, called it an “important expansion” that will help customers connect more efficiently. “Together, we’re enabling faster access to AI data centers and helping enterprises across Texas and Arizona unlock the full potential of next-generation connectivity,” he said.

Majority investment and deepening relationships

The announcement follows a September majority investment in Gigabit Fiber by a fund managed by Blue Owl Capital’s Digital Infrastructure strategy, positioning the company for continued growth in hyperscale and data center connectivity across Texas and nearby markets. Gigabit continues to operate independently under the new ownership structure.

At the time of the investment, CEO Tom Spackman called it a milestone “25 years in the making.”

“We closed the first volume of our story—25 years in the making,” Spackman said at the time. “Blue Owl’s investment marks a continuation of that partnership, accelerating our growth and expanding our network reach.”

Earlier this year, Gigabit extended and expanded its lease at 400 South Akard Street, the former Federal Reserve Bank building and home to DataBank’s DFW1 data center, to add a lab and “hyper-connected data center environment” for its operations.

Gigabit’s expanded fiber network will add new routes into the building’s “meet-me room,” an interconnection hub used by carriers and data center operators. The addition strengthens what industry insiders call the building’s data gravity, or its ability to attract more networks and computing infrastructure as digital activity concentrates in one location.

The lease expansion deal also builds on what Spackman described as the company’s “deepening commercial relationship” with DataBank, which has evolved over two decades. Announced in March, the agreement included a multi-million-dollar, next-generation optical network engineered to support the growing demands of cloud computing, AI, and ultra-low-latency connectivity. The system, Gigabit said in March, interconnects more than 40 data centers throughout the Dallas region, offering on-demand IP transit, wavelength, and dark fiber services.

Quincy Preston contributed to this report.

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R E A D   N E X T

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