Zayo Bandwidth raises $225M for fiber-based networks

Zayo Bandwidth, a Louisville, Colo. regional provider of fiber-based network services, has raised a whopping $225 million in private equity funding.

See the story in Rocky Mountain News.

It has quietly snatched up four fiber-optic networks in the eastern U.S. in recent months, the story says.

Lead investors in Zayo are Oak Investment Partners, Columbia Capital and M/C Venture Partners. Other investors are Colorado-based Centennial Ventures and Battery Ventures. The holding company is called Communications Infrastructure Investments LLC.

It is run by former ICG Communications and Level 3 Communications executives Dan Caruso and John Scarano.

Among the companies acquired: PPL Telcom, a 4,600 fiber-route-mile network serving areas throughout the Northeast, and Memphis Networx, a 200 fiber-route-mile network serving the greater Memphis area. It also today announced agreements to acquire both Indiana Fiber Works of Indianapolis and Onvoy Inc. of Minneapolis. They give Zayo $125 million in annual revenue and 8,400 route miles of fiber.