Zayo to Invest $90M to Strengthen Tennessee’s Digital Infrastructure and Economic Growth

Boosts Tennessee’s network backbone to fuel innovation, education, and economic expansion

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zayo, a leading communications infrastructure and managed services provider, announced a $90 million investment to expand and enhance fiber infrastructure across Tennessee. This investment will bolster key network routes, providing critical connectivity to major data centers and educational institutions and driving economic growth and innovation statewide.

The initiative includes advanced network infrastructure to power hyperscale and data center campuses, supporting the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and other high-bandwidth workloads in the region.

With Zayo Education (formerly Education Networks of America) headquartered in Nashville, this investment reinforces Zayo’s deep-rooted commitment to Tennessee. For almost 30 years, Zayo Education has delivered mission-critical connectivity across urban and rural communities and remains the state’s top E-Rate services provider.

Reliable, high-speed internet access is essential in today’s digital world, especially for the education sector. Zayo currently connects 94% of Tennessee school districts with managed internet and wide-area networking (WAN) services, ensuring K-12 students have secure access to digital learning, regardless of location. With this investment, Zayo is expanding its reach to underserved communities and reaffirming its dedication to bridging the digital divide in Tennessee.

“Zayo’s $90 million investment in Tennessee is a testament to our continued commitment to bridging the digital divide and powering the state’s future,” said Michael McKerley, Senior Vice President, Zayo Managed Services. “As the leading provider of managed network connectivity for Tennessee schools—serving 139 of the state’s 147 districts—we understand the critical need for reliable, high-speed internet. This investment will expand our network’s reach, strengthen connectivity for K-12 education, and support the infrastructure needed for Tennessee’s growing digital economy.”

This investment is the latest in a series of significant infrastructure expansions from Zayo. Earlier this month, the company announced plans to acquire Crown Castle’s fiber solutions business, and in January, it unveiled a project to add over 5,000 new fiber route miles to support growing AI workloads. Zayo’s continued efforts to expand and enhance connectivity reinforce its dedication to delivering mission-critical infrastructure in both urban and rural communities.

To learn more about Zayo’s managed services and support of the education sector, visit: https://www.zayo.com/industries/education/.

About Zayo

For more than 17 years, Zayo has empowered some of the world’s largest and most innovative companies to connect what’s next for their business. The Zayo group of companies connects 400 global markets with future-ready networks that span over 18.7 million fiber miles and 146,000 route miles. Zayo's tailored connectivity solutions and managed services enable carriers, cloud providers, data centers, schools, and enterprises to deliver exceptional experiences, from core to cloud to edge. Discover how Zayo connects what’s next at www.zayo.com and follow us on LinkedIn.