gFiber to take over for Ting Fiber in Colorado Springs

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gFiber is stepping in to rescue Ting Fiber's dark fiber network lease in Colorado Springs, a move that will provide some relief for financially troubled Ting and allow gFiber to expand its presence in the state.

Ting Fiber will continue to serve broadband customers in the city until the transaction is wrapped up. The transfer is expected to close on March 31, 2027.

The transfer agreement enters the picture after Tucows, Ting Fiber's parent company, initiated a review of strategic alternatives for Ting Fiber back in late 2025 as the subsidiary continued to absorb losses. In June, Tucows disclosed there was "substantial doubt" regarding Ting Fiber's ability to meet its financial obligations within one year unless it secured more financing. In 2024, Tucows underwent a major cost restructuring that included a 42% layoff at Ting Fiber and a 17% layoff of Tucows' total workforce.

Ting Fiber noted in this FAQ that it's "made the tough decision to focus on investment in other Ting markets." Ting Fiber operates in parts of California, Idaho, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia.

Related:A new fiber giant takes shape as GFiber and Astound combine

Upon closing, Ting will effectively turn over its remaining lease with Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) to gFiber (formerly Google Fiber). gFiber will be substituted for Ting as the network's "tenant."

Ting Fiber's involvement in Colorado Springs traces back to a multi-phase plan undertaken by CSU to bring open-access fiber to about 200,000 locations in Colorado Springs. In August 2023, CSU tapped Ting Fiber to serve as initial anchor tenant on the XGS-PON-based network.

CSU's network currently passes about 75,000 homes, and the utility expects the full build to wrap "within a few months" of its original end-of-2028 target, CSU Chief Financial Officer Tristan Gearhart said, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette.

At the end of Q2 2026, Ting's remaining aggregate payment obligations tied to the original 30-year lease were roughly $322.8 million, Ting parent company Tucows said in this October 22 10-K filing. Under the original 30-year agreement with CSU, the utility was projected to receive about $670 million.

No immediate change for Ting Fiber customers

Ting Fiber's 2,000-plus customers in Colorado Springs will continue to receive 2-Gig broadband speeds (currently priced at $89 per month) until they cancel. Ting Fiber also offers a home broadband/mobile bundle starting at $99 per month.

gFiber is expected to bring its own service portfolio to the market. gFiber expects to start taking orders in Colorado Springs by the end of 2026 for installations starting in early 2027, Ting Fiber explained in the FAQ. gFiber has stood up a website for Colorado Springs residents to be alerted when gFiber is available.

Related:What an Astound-GFiber combo means to its broadband competitors

Partnering with a utility on an open-access model isn't new territory for gFiber – it runs a similar arrangement with a utility in Huntsville, Alabama. Louis Lipner, gFiber's head of strategic partnerships, said the company has been pleased with the Huntsville project and has wanted to enter Colorado Springs since at least 2022, the Gazette reported.

gFiber's expanding footprint in Colorado

The Colorado Springs lease transfer will broaden gFiber's in Colorado. It will expand on its rollouts in areas such as Highlands Ranch/Douglas County, Wheat Ridge, Westminster, Lakewood and Denver (in Denver, gFiber uses its Webpass fixed wireless access platform). gFiber also has plans underway to build in other Colorado markets such as Golden, Broomfield County and Adams County.

gFiber is expanding in other ways. The Colorado Springs transaction is taking place amid a pending merger of gFiber and Astound Broadband that will result in an operator that passes more than 7.11 million locations. Expected to close later this year, Stonepeak will hold majority ownership of the combined company, with Alphabet – gFiber's parent – retaining a significant minority stake. The combined company will operate under the gFiber brand and be led by gFiber's existing executive team.

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