Lightpath Deepens Columbus AI Infrastructure with Third Major Network Award

Award Brings Columbus Network to 304 Miles

NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Lightpath today announced it has secured a third major network award in the Greater Columbus market, reflecting continued, success-based investment driven by hyperscale demand for AI-ready connectivity infrastructure. The latest award builds directly on a network currently under construction, adding 55 route miles of 100% underground, multi-conduit network extending southwest of Columbus toward Cincinnati. This third award brings Lightpath’s network under construction in the Greater Columbus Region to 304 total route miles. 

The cumulative scale of investment reinforces Columbus’s role as a leading deployment market for customers who require high-capacity fiber networks to support production-grade AI and data center workloads. Columbus is one of several markets in the US where large-scale compute platform customers are expanding across multiple regions simultaneously and prioritizing network scale, predictable performance, and long-term resiliency.

Construction across the Columbus market is proceeding in phases. Approximately 102 route miles — about one-third of the total announced build — are scheduled for completion in the first half of 2026, ahead of the original delivery timeline. The remaining mileage is expected to come online in the first half of 2027.

“Securing a third award in Columbus underscores the consistency of demand we’re seeing from hyperscale customers as they expand AI infrastructure at scale,” said Chris Morley, CEO of Lightpath. “Our focus remains on executing reliably and building infrastructure that supports long-term, mission-critical workloads.”

The additional construction further strengthens regional connectivity across Central and Southwest Ohio, reinforcing a growing fiber corridor designed to support both metro and intercity data center interconnectivity.

“Delivering a significant portion of this build ahead of schedule reflects the operational discipline behind our infrastructure strategy,” said Tim Haverkate, EVP of Major Infrastructure at Lightpath. “This phased expansion positions us to support continued growth in Columbus while maintaining the performance and reliability our customers expect.”

The Columbus expansion is part of Lightpath’s broader approach to building dense, all-fiber infrastructure across key U.S. markets, supporting hyperscale, carrier, and enterprise customers with scalable, production-ready connectivity.

For more information about Lightpath, visit lightpathfiber.com, and follow Lightpath on LinkedIn.

About Lightpath

Lightpath is revolutionizing how customers connect to their digital destinations by combining our next-generation network with our next-generation customer service. Lightpath’s advanced fiber-optic network offers a comprehensive portfolio of custom-engineered connectivity solutions with unparalleled performance, reliability, and security. Our consultative customer service means we work with you to design, deliver, and support the solution for your unique needs, faster and more easily than ever before. For over 30 years, thousands of enterprises, governments, and educators have trusted Lightpath to power their organization’s innovation. Lightpath is jointly owned by Optimum Communications, Inc. (NYSE: OPTU) and Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners.

To learn how Lightpath can connect you to your digital destinations, visit lightpathfiber.com.

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SOURCE Lightpath