Relationship to Support Planned Fiber Deployments Across Entire 20-State Footprint

Charlotte, NC—March 15, 2022—Brightspeed today announced it has selected KGPCo, the country's largest communications network services and supply chain provider, as the company’s strategic supply chain and logistics partner in preparation for day one operations and for its planned fiber deployments throughout its multi-state territory across rural and suburban regions of the United States.

Through this relationship, KGPCo will supply Brightspeed with a wide range of logistics and process-oriented support and optimization for materials and customer premise equipment purchasing, warehousing, and fulfillment, and for field services, including engineering and installation services. The announcement marks another major milestone in Brightspeed’s planned rollout of its innovative telecommunications and connectivity platform.

“Our team has been doing an outstanding job laying the groundwork for success in advance of our launch, and this collaboration with KGPCo underscores our commitment to assemble the best partners in the industry to ensure we deliver on our customer and network objectives,” said Chris Creager, Chief Administration Officer of Brightspeed. “We have set ambitious targets for deployment and growth, and the KGPCo team brings deep supply chain and logistics expertise to the table, plus an in-depth knowledge of the communities we look forward to serving.”

Brightspeed previously announced plans to invest more than $2 billion to build a network that will bring faster, more reliable Internet and Wi-Fi to communities throughout the Midwest, Southeast, and certain parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The company's planned fiber optics transformation is expected to reach up to three million homes and businesses over the next five years, including in many places where fiber and advanced technology have not historically been deployed. The company will initially be comprised of the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) assets and associated operations of Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN), which are the subject of a pending acquisition by Apollo-managed funds (NYSE: APO).

KGPCo, which serves a diverse customer base of North America’s leading telecommunications and network providers, has a decades-long footprint on the ground in the 20-state region that will constitute Brightspeed’s operating territory.

“We are thrilled to partner with Brightspeed and support their network build plan to bring fast, reliable Internet and Wi-Fi to more homes and businesses,” said Trevor Putrah, President of KGPCo. “Our proven experience and innovation in supply chain design, sourcing, and logistics, along with engineering and installation services through KGPCo Services, enables KGPCo to play an essential role in supporting Brightspeed’s network transformation mission.”

For more information about Brightspeed, please visit the company’s website, www.brightspeed.com.

About Brightspeed

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. and expected to have assets and associated operations in 20 states, Brightspeed will provide broadband and telecommunications services through a network platform that serves more than six million homes and businesses. The company aims to bridge the digital divide by deploying a state-of-the-art fiber network and a customer experience that makes staying connected simple and seamless. For more information about Brightspeed, please visit the company’s website, www.brightspeed.com.

About KGPCo

KGPCo is a key strategic partner to the world’s leading communication and technology companies creating the next generation of networks. By uniquely combining Network Services and Supply Chain Solutions to build, optimize, and maintain networks, our team’s unmatched expertise enables our customers to navigate today’s challenges and implement tomorrow’s innovations. From ground to cloud, KGPCo is the only company in the industry that offers a complete range of solutions and an integrated approach to build, optimize, and maintain networks. To learn more visit KGPCo.com.

Media
Brightspeed
Erik Carlson
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
(212) 355-4449
pr@brightspeed.com

KGPCo
Barbara Baldwin
KGPCo
(415) 336-4796
barbara.baldwin@kgpco.com