Ziply Fiber
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Predecessor | GTE Northwest |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Headquarters | Kirkland , United States |
Area served | Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana |
Key people | Steve Weed (founder of Wave Broadband) |
| Products | Fiber-optic internet services |
| Owner | WaveDivision Capital |
Number of employees | Over 150 (added from LocalTel Communications acquisition) |
Northwest Fiber, LLC, which operates under the name Ziply Fiber, is a privately held telecommunications firm based in Kirkland, Washington. Owned by WaveDivision Capital, the company delivers fiber-optic internet services to approximately 1.3 million residential and commercial clients throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Key offices are situated in Everett, Washington; Beaverton, Oregon; and Hayden, Idaho.
The company traces its roots to the northwestern segment of GTE, which merged with Verizon in 2000. In 2010, Frontier Communications acquired these assets. Later in 2019, WaveDivision Capital—a private equity group led by former executives of Wave Broadband—purchased Frontier’s northwest operations for $1.35 billion and rebranded the entity as Ziply Fiber. In November 2024, Canadian telecommunications conglomerate BCE Inc. revealed plans to acquire Ziply for $3.6 billion.
History
Established in 1964 as General Telephone Company of the Northwest, Inc., later known as GTE Northwest, the company provided services across Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Its regional presence expanded following the 1993 acquisition of Continental Telephone (ConTel). Some operations were later divested to Citizens Communications (which became Frontier Communications).
Following Bell Atlantic’s merger with GTE in 2000 to form Verizon, GTE Northwest was renamed Verizon Northwest and continued offering local telephone services within its existing markets. Verizon sold its western wireline assets to Frontier Communications in 2010.
In May 2019, WaveDivision Capital announced it would acquire Frontier Communications’ Northwest assets for $1.35 billion. Headed by Steve Weed—founder of Wave Broadband—the firm pledged to extend fiber deployment and invest $100 million into network enhancements. The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission approved the transaction in February 2020 with a stipulation requiring a $50 million investment commitment. The deal was finalized on May 1, 2020, coinciding with the launch of the Ziply Fiber brand.
On November 1, 2023, Ziply Fiber introduced a 50 Gig symmetrical fiber-optic internet plan throughout its service regions. By September 30, 2024, it had acquired LocalTel Communications based in Wenatchee, adding over 40,000 subscribers and more than 150 employees.
On November 4, 2024, BCE Inc. declared its intention to purchase Ziply Fiber for $3.6 billion to broaden its U.S. broadband footprint and serve an estimated three million customers.