Wisconsin Independent Network, LLC: Announces acquisition of fiber network assets

Contact: Scott Hoffmann, CEO Office: 715-832-3750 hoffmann@wins.net

Eau Claire, WI – Wisconsin Independent Network, LLC (WIN) announced today that it has completed the acquisition of fiber network assets from Spiralight Network, LLC, a subsidiary of Hilbert Communications, LLC. Financial details of the transaction are not being disclosed.

The assets acquired from Spiralight by WIN include all fiber assets, all electronics and equipment tied to the fiber assets, the existing fiber network customer base, and eight equipment hut locations along Interstate 94 between Chicago and Minneapolis. The acquisition adds approximately 1,300 miles of fiber to WIN’s network.

“This acquisition is a great strategic fit for WIN in terms of increased network capacity and redundancy, decreased costs, and additional network nodes from which we provide connectivity to our customers,” according to Scott Hoffmann, WIN CEO. “WIN’s growth philosophy is to continually increase our network density, reach, and capacity within the Upper Midwest to better serve our customers and rural telephone company owners.”

Fiber optic cables typically contain dozens to hundreds of glass strands about the width of a human hair. By adding electro-optical equipment at both ends of a pair of fiber optic strands, high speed data transmission rates approaching 100Gigabits per second or more can be achieved over a fiber optic network. Network applications such as Internet, TV video, cellular telephone traffic, voice, and business/government/education data traffic travel over these networks quickly, securely, and reliably.

About WIN: Formed in 1997, WIN is a Midwest regional provider of wholesale and enterprise transport network services, next generation Internet solutions, and data center services. WIN is an operating subsidiary of Communications Management Group, LLC, a privately-held company owned by 31 independent local telephone companies. The company’s website may be found at: http://www.wins.net