United Announces Acquisition Of Athena Broadband
United Communications announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire Athena Broadband. William Bradford, President and CEO of United Communications, emphasized that the acquisition was a great fit because it allows United to rapidly expand broadband availability to underserved areas of Middle Tennessee. “By combining the area’s leaders in fiber and fixed wireless, we will be expanding affordable high-speed internet to under-served areas of Middle Tennessee, said Bradford.”
The transaction comes at a great time for both companies, as United has recently completed construction of a new fiber ring, connecting Lewisburg, Shelbyville, Chapel Hill, and many other rural communities within Marshall and Bedford Counties. United plans to expand wireless coverage along its fiber route with the Athena fixed wireless product. This will allow many rural customers to benefit from the power of fiber. The transaction will also be beneficial to Athena’s many loyal customers. By the end of 2017, United plans to connect many of Athena’s towers to their new fiber ring in the region, increasing the overall capacity of Athena’s existing network.
The two co-founders of Athena, Josh Lynch and John Rowland, will also be joining United as members of the management team. Both parties feel the acquisition made sense for a lot of reasons. “We are both local service providers focused on expanding broadband access and providing great customer service in Middle Tennessee. This agreement will enhance the services both companies offer today and allow us to deliver broadband to more customers at a faster rate,” commented Lynch. “We are very excited to have Josh and John join the United team to help us accelerate the delivery of Faster Speeds and Dedicated Service throughout Middle Tennessee”, said Bradford.