Great Plains Communications said today that it has acquired USA Communications. Great Plains, which is backed by investment firm Grain Management, has been expanding through acquisitions and by making its own fiber deployments. Its 13,500-mile fiber network reaches parts of 13 states.
Both Great Plains Communications and USA Communications are headquartered in Nebraska. USA Communications was founded in 1995 and offers managed Ethernet and multi-play services in parts of Nebraska and Colorado.
“The USA Communications fiber footprint is a positive addition to our current network and will allow us to reach more business and residential customers in thriving areas of Nebraska and Colorado,” said Great Plains Communications CEO Todd Foje, in a press release. “In addition, we will work with our partners at Grain Management to identify future areas for targeted GPC expansion that result from these new fiber assets as we continue on our path of growth to bring fiber-driven services to as many areas as possible and to contribute to the nation’s fiber-for-all initiatives.”
GPC’s initial focus will be upgrading and expanding the USA Communications network in Kearney, Grand Island and other Nebraska communities
A press release about the Great Plains USA Communications deal notes that this is Great Plains’ fourth acquisition in the past five years.
Others included the 2020 acquisition of Indiana-based Enhanced Telecommunications Corporation and the 2019 acquisition of Missouri-based InterCarrier Networks.
Grain Management acquired Great Plains Communications in 2018. Grain Management investments focus on the telecom sector. Fiber is one of several strategic sub-verticals for the investment firm.
Other Grain Management fiber network operator acquisitions in recent years have included Florida-based Summit Communications; Ritter Communications of Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee; and Hunter Communications of Oregon and California.
Grain Management seems to make its acquisitions through Great Plains Communications when the acquisitions are in the central U.S. The Great Plains network touches parts of Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Terms of the Great Plains Communications USA Communications deal were not disclosed.
