Ripple Fiber has officially acquired BridgeNET Fiber, marking a decisive step in its strategic push to expand high-performance broadband infrastructure across North Carolina. The announcement places a spotlight on Statesville as the next focal point of Ripple Fiber's growth trajectory.

This acquisition unlocks an opportunity to accelerate fiber internet deployment in the region, delivering high-speed, future-ready connectivity to residents and businesses alike. With the integration of BridgeNET’s assets, Ripple Fiber is poised to reshape the competitive fiber landscape and elevate user experience in a market ripe for innovation.

How will the increased competition impact internet quality and pricing in Statesville? What infrastructure enhancements can locals expect in the coming months? The answers are already taking shape as plans move into high gear.

Ripple Fiber’s Strategic Acquisition of BridgeNET Fiber Sets New Benchmark

Transaction Details

On April 3, 2024, Ripple Fiber finalized the acquisition of BridgeNET Fiber, a privately held broadband service provider with a growing footprint in North Carolina. This transaction marks a definitive move by Ripple Fiber to strengthen its regional position, particularly in Statesville and surrounding markets. While the financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed, the acquisition encompasses all existing BridgeNET infrastructure, customer contracts, and operational assets.

BridgeNET Fiber, operational since 2016, developed a reputation for delivering reliable fiber-optic internet to underserved areas. Its growth trajectory included key deployments in Iredell County and increased fiber passings across several rural corridors. Ripple Fiber, founded in 2021, entered the broadband space with aggressive investment in fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks, focusing on future-ready gigabit connectivity in secondary and tertiary cities.

Strategic Business Expansion

This acquisition directly aligns with Ripple Fiber’s strategic objective: to scale its fiber coverage across the Southeast and accelerate market entry into target municipalities. Statesville, with its rising demand for high-speed internet access, now becomes a focal point for deployment and subscriber acquisition.

By absorbing BridgeNET's existing fiber infrastructure and leveraging its experienced technical workforce, Ripple Fiber gains more than just physical assets. The vertical integration streamlines project timelines, consolidates permitting knowledge, and simplifies municipal coordination. The local brand affinity that BridgeNET built over eight years will support Ripple Fiber’s customer transition and enhance adoption rates.

Rather than building from scratch, Ripple Fiber now inherits a functioning, localized framework that can be scaled quickly. With this foundation, the company reduces deployment timeframes by up to 40% compared to greenfield expansion projects, based on historical buildout data from similar operator integrations.

Unlocking Statesville’s Potential: A Strategic Fiber Investment

Community and Economic Snapshot

Statesville, located in Iredell County, North Carolina, sits at the crossroads of I-40 and I-77 — a logistical advantage that has historically driven commercial growth. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Statesville’s population grew by over 9% between 2010 and 2020, reaching nearly 29,000 residents. The surrounding metropolitan area supports approximately 185,000 people, contributing to a diverse economic landscape rooted in manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation.

Household demand for high-speed connectivity has surged in recent years. Data from the NC Department of Information Technology shows that over 15% of households in Iredell County lack broadband coverage at FCC-defined threshold speeds. With remote work, digital education, and streaming entertainment pushing usage higher, underserved zones represent immediate demand clusters for fiber providers.

Market Potential

Recent broadband infrastructure reports from the North Carolina Broadband Infrastructure Office highlight the state’s commitment to fiber expansion, with over $350 million in Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grant funding allocated between 2019 and 2023. Statesville, falling within multiple qualifying census tracts, sits in the pathway of high-priority deployment plans for last-mile connectivity.

Regional construction permits and housing development data reinforce the need for scalable internet solutions. In 2023 alone, Iredell County issued over 1,200 residential building permits, a 17% year-over-year increase. This growth trajectory points to a sustained influx of residents and businesses, fuelling elevated broadband expectations.

Fiber internet adoption across North Carolina reached 31.8% of households in 2022, according to data from the Pew Research Center. In small-to-mid-sized municipalities like Statesville, analysts forecast an annual growth rate of 8%–11% in fiber subscriptions through 2027, driven by competitive pricing and the superior reliability of fiber-optic infrastructure. These figures translate into compelling investment calculus for providers looking to capture early market share.

Ripple Fiber’s expansion targets align precisely with these macro and microeconomic signals. By acquiring BridgeNET Fiber and integrating its existing network assets, Ripple positions itself to meet rising connectivity demands while embedding long-term value in the fabric of Statesville’s digital and economic development.

Accelerating Broadband Infrastructure with Strategic Development

Investment in Technology

Ripple Fiber’s acquisition of BridgeNET Fiber initiates a significant technological upgrade throughout the Statesville area. The company will overhaul legacy systems and install high-speed fiber optic lines designed to meet bandwidth demands for decades to come. By increasing data throughput and reducing latency, these upgrades will set a new standard for network performance in the region.

Technological improvements won’t stop at speed. Ripple Fiber is adopting infrastructure models built around environmental sustainability. Underground fiber pathways will use low-impact construction methods, while network hardware will prioritize energy efficiency. Long-life fiber cabling and scalable network nodes will also decrease long-term material waste and maintenance overhead.

Broadband Gains for Communities

Residential zones, underserved neighborhoods, and business corridors in Statesville will gain immediate access to resilient, high-capacity internet. Ripple Fiber’s infrastructure blueprint targets both density and reach, bringing symmetrical gigabit-level speeds closer to rural and previously marginalized areas.

Reliable broadband forms the backbone for innovation. Enhanced connectivity will support smart city functions like traffic optimization, utility management, and emergency response systems. For households, bandwidth increases accommodate the growing number of connected devices. For companies, especially startups and remote-first firms, scalable internet boosts productivity and enables expansion without relocating.

• Local schools and libraries will benefit from higher speeds, supporting more robust digital learning platforms.
• Medical clinics and telehealth providers can integrate data-intensive virtual care solutions.
• Construction zones and field-based services can stay connected through mobile broadband setups.

Statesville’s evolving infrastructure positions the city as a hub for next-generation connectivity and digital resilience. The physical network being deployed today underpins the services and systems that will define Statesville’s public and private sectors for years ahead.

Expanding Digital Connectivity in Local Communities

Rural and Suburban Access

Ripple Fiber’s acquisition of BridgeNET Fiber accelerates its mission to connect underserved pockets of Statesville. Scattered rural homes and suburban neighborhoods that have long dealt with unreliable or low-speed internet will now see infrastructure deployed where others stalled. Engineers are already mapping out last-mile extensions using BridgeNET’s existing right-of-ways and trench networks, which significantly reduces deployment time.

Connectivity gaps often correlate with disparities in access to education, emergency response systems, and economic participation. With enhanced fiber availability, local students in digitally neglected areas can join remote classrooms without latency interruptions. Public safety agencies will gain more reliable communication tools, ensuring faster dispatch coordination and stronger interagency links during crises. Home-based businesses and solo entrepreneurs gain new footing—suddenly capable of streaming, transacting, and competing in national marketplaces thanks to stable high-speed connections.

Community Partnerships

Ripple is not acting alone. Expansion planning incorporates input from city governments, school systems, public utility departments, and neighborhood associations. The company has already scheduled a series of listening tours throughout Iredell County, where residents will voice connectivity needs and technical frustrations directly to project leads.

Joint ventures with local nonprofits are also in progress. These groups help identify hyperlocal blind spots, such as mobile home clusters or legacy housing areas overlooked by traditional infrastructure. Based on that data, rollout plans evolve in real time, adjusted for community scale rather than just ROI metrics. And with public sessions informing each step of execution, residents witness the planning process unfold with uncommon transparency.

By embedding itself in local alliances and shaping delivery around grassroots insight, Ripple Fiber aligns high-capacity infrastructure with real human need—bringing a sharper digital edge to areas once left in the buffer zone.

Boosting Consumer Internet Services

Enhanced Service Options

The integration of BridgeNET Fiber into Ripple Fiber's operations reshapes the internet service landscape in Statesville with immediate technical upgrades and long-term scalability. Following the acquisition, households and businesses are gaining access to a diversified service menu—ranging from symmetrical gigabit internet plans to bundled smart home solutions and business-grade SLAs.

Latency reductions and overall service acceleration are foundational steps. By leveraging BridgeNET’s existing fiber routes and integrating them into Ripple Fiber’s broader network architecture, ping times have dropped across test zones in Iredell County, decreasing from 18 ms to 9 ms on average—documented in internal benchmarks conducted post-acquisition in early 2024. Such latency enhancements directly benefit online gaming, video conferencing, and cloud-based workflows.

Network reliability has also received attention. Ripple Fiber is implementing automated diagnostics and proactive maintenance systems across newly acquired infrastructure, cutting down downtime. Support operations are being restructured to ensure response times under 30 seconds via chat and phone across Statesville, backed by localized customer care teams recently onboarded through the merger.

Competitive Pricing and Packages

Starting Q3 2024, Ripple Fiber is rolling out new tiered plans tailored specifically to suburban and semi-rural segments underserved by legacy providers. Entry-level plans begin at $39.99 per month for 500 Mbps symmetrical service, undercutting regional cable ISPs by upwards of 22% based on pricing data collected from ISPs servicing ZIP codes 28625 and 28677.

Economies of scale enabled by the acquisition are driving these pricing strategies. Operational integration reduces per-customer network management costs, which Ripple Fiber is converting directly into pricing incentives and zero-installation fee promotions for new subscribers in the expanded service area.

Where do these changes place Ripple Fiber on the ISP competitive map in Statesville? Analysts tracking North Carolina’s broadband market note that with the new packages, Ripple Fiber now positions itself between legacy DSL providers and regional incumbents like Spectrum and AT&T—focusing on fiber-led performance paired with local service responsiveness. This dual advantage remains a focal selling point throughout the company’s Q3 marketing surge.

Fueling Economic Growth Across North Carolina

Statewide Momentum in Technology Investments

Ripple Fiber’s acquisition of BridgeNET Fiber marks a significant acceleration in broadband infrastructure spending across North Carolina. This move aligns directly with the state’s ambitious plan to close the digital divide and extend high-speed internet access to underserved areas. According to the North Carolina Office of Broadband Infrastructure, over $1 billion in funding has been allocated through the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Grant program since 2020. Ripple Fiber’s expansion into Statesville places it in position to directly benefit from and contribute to this momentum.

By incorporating BridgeNET Fiber's established footprint, Ripple Fiber strengthens its ability to deploy scalable, future-focused networks. These networks not only meet current data demands but also prepare for exponential growth in smart infrastructure and cloud-based services.

Job Creation, Innovation, and Infrastructure Leadership

The impact moves beyond fiber optics—it’s also about people, talent development, and economic revitalization. With this acquisition, Ripple Fiber is adding hundreds of miles of fiber and creating new employment opportunities in network engineering, installation, sales, and customer support. These roles build on North Carolina’s existing tech labor market, which now exceeds 380,000 workers, according to CompTIA’s 2023 Cyberstates report.

Statesville, with its strategic location in Iredell County, becomes a vital node in a growing network of digitally powered innovation hubs. The ripple effect of this acquisition—pun fully intended—reaches startups seeking reliable connectivity, established firms considering relocation, and public institutions needing bandwidth to deliver smarter civic services.

Attracting Investment Through Digital Infrastructure

Improved access to fiber infrastructure consistently correlates with increased attractiveness for business investments. Local governments and economic development boards use broadband availability as a metric when promoting sites to manufacturing firms, logistics companies, and tech providers. A fiber-rich market like Statesville stands to draw not just attention but actual capital.

• Entrepreneurship: Local entrepreneurs benefit from decreased barriers to broadband-intensive business models, from e-commerce to app development.
• Public-Private Partnerships: Enhanced connectivity enables municipalities to scale smart city initiatives through expanded collaboration with private-sector innovators.
• Education and Workforce Development: Faster internet empowers online learning platforms and remote job training programs, linking more residents to well-paying digital economy jobs.

Through this strategic acquisition, Ripple Fiber doesn’t just upgrade infrastructure—it energizes North Carolina’s broader economic engine by laying a high-performance digital foundation where growth, innovation, and opportunity converge.

Mergers and Acquisitions Redefining the Telecom Landscape

Industry Trend Overview

The telecommunications sector has witnessed a sharp rise in mergers and acquisitions over the past decade. According to PwC’s 2023 Global M&A Trends in Telecom report, deal volume in the telecom space grew by 8% year-over-year, with fiber infrastructure assets leading investor interest. Strategic consolidations have become a dominant growth lever, as operators look to shave infrastructure costs, scale coverage, and improve service delivery through synergistic partnerships.

Ripple Fiber’s acquisition of BridgeNET Fiber squarely aligns with this momentum. Bringing together two fiber-focused operators serves not only to broaden geographic reach but also to create operational efficiencies that standalone entities can’t replicate as easily. By consolidating resources, Ripple Fiber can allocate capital more effectively and fast-track its deployment schedule in Statesville and beyond.

Benefits and Strategic Implications of M&A

• Infrastructure Optimization: Merged entities often eliminate redundant network assets, allowing for streamlined service delivery and faster maintenance response times.
• Customer Base Expansion: Acquisitions bring in ready-made subscribers, enabling faster revenue growth without the high cost of user acquisition campaigns.
• Technology Synergy: Network integration can accelerate adoption of next-generation technologies, such as 10-gigabit symmetrical fiber or intelligent bandwidth allocation systems.

However, integration challenges should not be ignored. M&A success depends on operational alignment, brand unification, and the seamless transition of service experiences for end users. Ripple Fiber’s future performance will hinge on its ability to integrate BridgeNET’s systems while preserving service reliability and customer satisfaction.

Competitive Landscape Shifts

This acquisition gives Ripple Fiber an immediate competitive advantage in the Southeastern United States. By folding BridgeNET’s assets under its umbrella, Ripple secures an enhanced footprint in underserved and emerging suburban markets—areas historically overlooked by national ISPs. As a result, local broadband providers will now face a more capable and capitalized player in the region.

Tier-one internet providers may respond through increased investment or by pursuing regional buyouts of their own. Alternatively, some may pivot toward enterprise solutions and fiber-to-the-business models rather than contest residential market share. The ripple effect—pun intended—will influence pricing structures, service packages, and speed competition across not just Statesville, but the wider North Carolina broadband ecosystem.

What This Means for Consumers and the Future

Sharper Service, Stronger Community

The acquisition of BridgeNET Fiber by Ripple Fiber introduces a new phase in internet service delivery for Statesville residents. With expanded resources and streamlined operations, the combined company will bring enhanced coverage, speed, and reliability. Consumers will see a broader range of internet packages designed to match different usage needs—from remote work and telehealth to entertainment and gaming.

The move also aligns with a more engaged approach to customer service. Localized support teams, direct community outreach, and infrastructure transparency will refresh how residents interact with their broadband provider. Engagement tools—such as service portals, neighborhood forums, and live information dashboards—will shift the experience from transactional to participatory.

Widening Access Across Statesville

A key signal of intent from Ripple Fiber lies in its pledge to roll out high-speed broadband to previously unconnected and underserved parts of Statesville. With current broadband penetration still uneven across geographic and income lines, this marks a turning point. Infrastructure investments will prioritize outlying residential communities, rural zones at city edges, and small business corridors where digital access remains limited or substandard.

• Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment will expand to neighborhoods not previously serviced by BridgeNET.
• Public institutions such as schools, libraries, and municipal buildings will be included in early upgrade phases.
• Local planning will integrate feedback loops, allowing residents to influence where infrastructure is prioritized.

What Comes Next?

Ripple Fiber has established an implementation roadmap with phased rollout timelines extending through Q4 of 2025. Initial work has already started in the central core of Statesville, with secondary sectors aligned by population density and construction feasibility. Field surveys, permitting, and node optimization are all being fast-tracked through existing public-private partnerships with Iredell County.

Residents interested in tracking progress or participating in the upgrade process can:

• Register their address on Ripple Fiber’s official site to receive buildout updates.
• Join quarterly town hall briefings, which will be hosted both in person and via livestream.
• Follow street-level activity through a digital project map updated biweekly.

This acquisition sets the foundation for smarter, faster, and more equitable digital access in Statesville. With customer participation tightly woven into the expansion model, households and businesses alike stand to benefit directly from every mile of fiber installed.

A Shared Vision: Building Tomorrow’s Fiber Infrastructure in Statesville

The partnership between Ripple Fiber and the newly acquired BridgeNET Fiber reshapes how broadband service evolves in Statesville. This isn’t simply a transaction—it’s a commitment to building robust digital infrastructure that extends beyond faster speeds. The strategy centers on long-term investment, direct local engagement, and future-facing connectivity.

Ripple Fiber’s entry into the area strengthens the backbone of Statesville’s digital economy. This merger not only leverages BridgeNET’s local market insight but also injects Ripple’s technological expertise and capital into a region ripe for transformation. Every mile of laid fiber expands access, closes digital gaps, and advances the town’s appeal for businesses and remote professionals alike.

Across the U.S., fiber internet empowers smart city applications, supports healthcare tech, delivers high-bandwidth education, and unlocks competitive advantages for enterprises. Statesville now joins that movement with a partner willing to scale with the community.

• Enhanced local service: Faster installations, voice-responsive technical support, and localized account management.
• Next-gen readiness: Infrastructure capable of handling 10-gigabit connections for homes, institutions, and industrial zones.
• Unified vision: A consolidated network strategy that reduces redundancies and accelerates service availability.

Ripple Fiber approaches Statesville not just as a market, but as a collaborator. By aligning broadband expansion with local priorities, the company creates long-term value that reaches every household, co-working hub, and startup space. BridgeNET brought roots—Ripple extends those roots into a next-generation ecosystem.

This acquisition signals a connected future for Statesville, where fiber is more than a service—it’s the foundation for sustainable growth, equitable access, and digital excellence across the region.