Big River Broadband and Circle Fiber, both of which serve the Southeast Missouri communities, have been purchased by a Peoria, Illinois-based company.
The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2023.
i3 Broadband, a Midwest fiber-to-the-home provider of 100% fiber-optic broadband service, announced Feb. 7 the acquisition of the companies. Big River provides commercial communications, while its wholly-owned subsidiary, Circle Fiber, provides fiber optic internet services.
Cape Girardeau-based Big River launched Circle Fiber in 2022 and began building networks and offering services in Jackson, Poplar Bluff and north Cape Girardeau.
The combined companies allow i3 Broadband to further expand its footprint to residential and commercial customers across central Illinois and eastern Missouri, according to a press release.
i3 Broadband is expected to invest an additional $100 million to grow the Southeast Missouri market and provide next-generation broadband services to additional communities, company officials said.
“Big River Broadband/Circle Fiber shares our vision of providing customer-focused fiber optic telecommunication services to homes and businesses,” said i3 Broadband CEO Paul Cronin. “Since our launch in the St. Louis market, we have been looking for a trusted partner to accelerate the growth of our footprint in Missouri. Big River Broadband/Circle Fiber is providing state of the art products and services in Southeast Missouri, making it a perfect fit.”
Cronin added, “We look forward to working with Big River’s outstanding leadership team, integrating as a company, and welcoming their employees to i3 Broadband.”
Big River Broadband/Circle Fiber currently serves customers in Cape Girardeau, Perry, St. Genevieve, St. Francois, Butler, Washington, Bollinger, and Scott counties in Missouri.
The acquisition allows i3 Broadband to leverage Big River Broadband/Circle Fiber’s fiber optic infrastructure and gigabit speed upgrades in these markets, officials said.
Existing Big River Broadband/Circle Fiber customers with fiber infrastructure will continue to benefit from current and new services as i3 Broadband looks to expand those offerings in new neighborhoods, the company said.
“Joining forces with i3 Broadband allows us to accelerate the expansion of the Circle Fiber network into more communities,” said Jerry Howe, Big River Broadband/Circle Fiber CEO.
Howe added, “We found i3 Broadband to have the same outlook and approach to bringing the latest communications services to customers, leveraging the exceptional capacity of fiber networks. We are excited about the new capabilities our merged companies will provide, tapping into a pent-up demand for our services.”
The two companies will work toward a full integration under the i3 Broadband brand in the months to come.
For more information about i3 Broadband visiti3broadband.com or email info@i3broadband.com.