Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
BAI Communications (BAI) has closed its acquisition of ZenFi Networks that was first announced on July 26 of this year.
ZenFi now becomes a BAI Group company, alongside Mobilitie and Transit Wireless in the United States, helping to further accelerate BAI’s growth in North America and support the company’s vision to become a leading provider of connected 5G infrastructure across North America and globally.
As part of the acquisition, BAI obtains ZenFi’s portfolio of assets, including over 1,100 route miles of fibre network throughout the New York and New Jersey metro region. This fibre network connects into major data centres and points of presence in 65 network edge colocation facilities, a critical component of its C-RAN infrastructure. Furthermore, ZenFi brings with it a host of long-established customer relationships, including contracts with the wireless carrier customers in the region and the rights to provide mobile infrastructure solutions across 4,000 LinkNYC kiosk structures through its partnership with the CityBridge consortium.
Igor Leprince, Group CEO of BAI Communications, said “I am very impressed with ZenFi’s talented team and commercial capabilities. Bringing ZenFi into the wider BAI Communications Group solidifies our position as a leading connected infrastructure provider in North America and increases the opportunities for new and specialised projects driven by our Group of companies. ZenFi’s unique expertise in fibre and small cell deployments in New York City and surrounding areas further strengthens BAI’s competitive position in the largest city in the US, while also providing us with new ways to partner with other organisations to address the digital divide in the underserved communities. This includes the deployment of 5G through the Link5G kiosks, essential to ensure all New Yorkers have access to the networks of the future.”
The deal will allow the Group to participate in Link5G, the next phase of LinkNYC, a first-of-its-kind communications network that has replaced payphones across New York City with state-of-the-art kiosks equipped with free high-speed Wi-Fi, maps, connections to city services, and device charging at no cost to taxpayers or users. In addition to the standard LinkNYC features, Link5G will bring a faster and more equitable deployment of 5G to neighbourhoods across New York City, with a focus on previously underserved areas. Link5G can accommodate all carrier equipment needs and provide the necessary infrastructure to expand broadband connectivity to areas of the city that have traditionally been underserved by carriers. The new kiosks include 5 independent RF transparent bays to host multiple carriers deploying a variety of 4G and 5G technologies.
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