KIRKLAND—Canadian-based Bell Canada successfully acquired Kirkland-based Northwest Fiber Holdco, LLC (doing business as Ziply Fiber) on July 30, after an administrative law judge for the Utilities and Transportation Commission, approved the transfer of ownership two days earlier. The administrative law judge approved the settlement agreement after they found the transaction poses no harm to the public.
“The acquisition of Ziply Fiber marks a key milestone in our fiber growth strategy by establishing a significant foothold in the attractive U.S. market,” wrote Mirko Bibic, President & CEO, BCE Inc. and Bell Canada in a statement. “By combining Bell’s deep fiber expertise with Ziply Fiber‘s experienced management team and ambitious expansion plans, we are creating a powerful platform for long-term growth, scale and geographic diversification that positions us to unlock significant value for our shareholders.”
Ziply Fiber, the leading fiber Internet provider in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, was acquired for Canadian $5.0 billion (U.S. $3.65 billion) in cash, and an assumption of outstanding net debt of approximately C$2.6 billion at closing.
“Bell’s culture, vision and long-term strategy supports and amplifies our purpose to deliver the best and fastest fiber network with a refreshingly great customer experience,” Harold Zeitz, CEO, Ziply Fiber said. “We’re excited to accelerate and expand our fiber build to reach more communities and provide the connectivity and service they deserve.”
In December 2024, Northwest Fiber Holdco and BCE sought the commission’s approval to transfer Ziply Fiber’s ownership from Northwest Fiber to BCE. Following this filing, all parties agreed to address their concerns and reached a mutual agreement to resolve all issues discussed during the process. Acquisition expands Bell’s fiber footprint into the United States by 1.4 million locations, cementing its position as the third-largest fiber Internet provider in North America.
To accelerate expansion into the U.S. market, BCE and Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments) announced earlier this year a strategic partnership to create Network FiberCo. Combined with the completion of the Ziply Fiber acquisition, to enable Bell Canada to potentially reach up to 8 million fiber locations across the U.S.
The acquisition financing was supported by the proceeds of the sale of BCE’s minority stake in MLSE completed on July 1, 2025. This transaction marked the conversion of BCE’s passive interest in MLSE into a core business growth driver.
The deal aims to ensure a seamless transfer for Ziply Fiber customers.
Ziply Fiber will keep its operating name and initiate no changes to regulated services or billing for one year. Ziply will also continue to deploy broadband to Washingtonians, maintain its networks, provide service quality credits automatically to customers who experience outages of certain lengths, and report on various topics to the commission.
Back in 2020, Ziply Fiber acquired Frontier Communications in a $1.35 billion transaction funded from the $2.004 billion the company raised for the purchase and a half-billion dollars of network and service improvements.
Kirkland-based Ziply Fiber Northwest, LLC provides high-speed Internet to fiber locations across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Bell Canada is Canada’s largest telecommunications provider.
Current customers with additional questions can call Ziply Fiber at 866-326-0560.
Author: Mario Lotmore
One Response
Ugh. I’ve seen this movie before. One year and a day later, our fiber bill will go up 30%, they’ll have fired all the good people and they “won’t care, because tyhey don’t have to.” I remember the well earned bumper sticker saying with the Bell logo: “We don’t care, we don’t have to.”