Lightpath Brings AI Digital Infrastructure to Eastern Pennsylvania

Rhea-AI Summary

Lightpath (NYSE:ATUS) announced plans to construct 130-route miles of AI-grade fiber infrastructure in Eastern Pennsylvania, connecting hyperscale data center ecosystems in the region. The network will link the Susquehanna region with Ashburn, Virginia's data center hub, and major population centers in New York City and New Jersey.

The project, scheduled for completion in mid-2026, represents Lightpath's third AI infrastructure region announced in 2025, following Phoenix and Columbus markets. Future expansion plans include growing the network to over 400-route miles. The infrastructure will offer dark fiber, conduit, wavelengths up to 800 Gbps, Ethernet, and Internet services to support various customers including enterprises, educators, governments, carriers, and wireless providers.

Positive

• Strategic expansion into Eastern Pennsylvania's growing AI data center ecosystem
• Potential for network expansion from 130 to over 400-route miles
• Third major AI infrastructure region announced in 2025, showing consistent growth
• High-capacity connectivity offering up to 800 Gbps wavelengths

Negative

• Significant capital investment required for infrastructure construction
• Project completion not expected until mid-2026
• Competitive pressure in rapidly developing market

Insights

Telecommunications Infrastructure Analyst

Lightpath's strategic fiber expansion into Eastern Pennsylvania targets AI data center growth, diversifying revenue streams and enhancing their competitive position.

Lightpath's planned 130-route mile fiber network in Eastern Pennsylvania represents a significant strategic move to capitalize on the region's emerging hyperscale data center ecosystem. The Susquehanna area has become attractive to data center operators specifically because of its unique power infrastructure - a critical advantage for power-hungry AI applications.

This expansion is particularly valuable when analyzing its network effects. By connecting Eastern Pennsylvania to both Ashburn, Virginia (the world's largest data center hub) and the population centers of New York/New Jersey, Lightpath is creating a high-value connectivity triangle that positions them to capture growing demand for low-latency AI workloads. The proximity to Northeast population centers creates a competitive advantage for AI applications where milliseconds matter.

What's most telling is this represents Lightpath's third AI-specific regional expansion in 2025 (following Phoenix and Columbus), indicating a cohesive strategy to target high-growth AI infrastructure markets. The company is executing an aggressive but focused expansion targeting what I'd call the "second wave" of AI data center hubs - regions with power advantages but previously underserved by high-capacity fiber.

The planned service offering is comprehensive - from dark fiber and conduit to managed services - allowing Lightpath to serve hyperscalers while also capturing enterprise, education, government, and telecom customers in these markets. This diversification across customer segments provides revenue stability while maintaining growth potential as AI adoption accelerates across all sectors.

Constructing 130-Route Miles of New AI-Grade Fiber Infrastructure Anchored by Major Hyperscalers

NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Lightpath, an all-fiber infrastructure-based connectivity provider that is revolutionizing how organizations connect to their digital destinations, announced it will construct 130-route miles of AI-grade fiber infrastructure in Eastern Pennsylvania to connect the rapidly developing hyperscale data center ecosystem in the region. The Susquehanna region in Eastern Pennsylvania has seen a proliferation of AI-scale data center project announcements recently due to the region's unique power infrastructure.

Lightpath was selected to construct and operate 130-route miles of underground, multi-conduit systems with ultrahigh fiber-count capacity. The first phase of this network will diversely connect numerous data center campuses in the Susquehanna region. Planned future phases will expand the network to more than 400-route miles in total, to keep pace with data center development.

The new network, when combined with Lightpath's existing fiber footprint, will enable ultrahigh bandwidth connectivity between the new hyperscale AI data center facilities in Eastern Pennsylvania with Ashburn, Virginia, the largest data center and cloud ecosystem in the world. It will also connect Eastern Pennsylvania to New York City and New Jersey, the largest population centers in the country. Completion is scheduled for mid-2026.

Lightpath will be offering a full range of AI-grade network infrastructure and connectivity services on the Pennsylvania fiber assets, including high-count dark fiber, conduit, wavelengths up to 800 Gbps, Ethernet and Internet services. In addition to hyperscalers, the network will be available to support the connectivity requirements of enterprises, educators, governments, carriers, and wireless providers. 

"The Susquehanna region in Pennsylvania represents a massive opportunity for AI digital infrastructure given the unique power capacity and data center plans announced for the area," stated Chris Morley, CEO of Lightpath. "Additionally, the area's proximity to the densely populated Northeast will provide our customers with high-scale connectivity options for latency-sensitive AI workloads that would not be possible from data centers in other parts of the country. This investment underscores our ongoing commitment to enable all customers, including the largest digital infrastructure platforms, to modernize and scale their networks for every type of AI workload."

Pennsylvania is Lightpath's Third New AI Infrastructure Region Announced in 2025

Eastern Pennsylvania represents Lightpath's third new regional network built to AI-specifications announced this year following the company's entrances into the Phoenix market in February and the Columbus market in April. All of Lightpath's AI-grade digital infrastructure is engineered to handle massive fiber capacity, meeting the unprecedented compute demands of AI.

"The Eastern Pennsylvania data center ecosystem is rapidly growing, and much like Lightpath's other AI-grade projects, we are aggressively pursuing these opportunities to support our growing portfolio of hyperscale and strategic partners," explained Tim Haverkate, EVP of Major Infrastructure Solutions, Lightpath. "This third project announcement of 2025 is continuing evidence of the trust Lightpath has earned through our tailored approach in connecting these large-scale AI infrastructure markets. Our partners select Lightpath for our proven fiber construction capabilities, commercial flexibility, the agility in which we operate, and having the financial capacity to take on projects of this scale."

About Lightpath
Lightpath is revolutionizing how customers connect to their digital destinations by combining our next-generation network with our next-generation customer service. Lightpath's advanced fiber-optic network offers a comprehensive portfolio of custom-engineered connectivity solutions with unparalleled performance, reliability, and security. Our consultative customer service means we work with you to design, deliver, and support the solution for your unique needs, faster and more easily than ever before. For over 30 years, thousands of enterprises, governments, and educators have trusted Lightpath to power their organization's innovation. Lightpath is jointly owned by Altice USA (NYSE: ATUS) and Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners.

Follow Lightpath on LinkedIn. For more information, please visit lightpathfiber.com.

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SOURCE Lightpath

FAQ

What is Lightpath's new AI infrastructure project in Eastern Pennsylvania?

Lightpath is constructing 130-route miles of AI-grade fiber infrastructure in Eastern Pennsylvania to connect hyperscale data centers, with potential expansion to over 400-route miles.

When will Lightpath (NYSE:ATUS) complete the Eastern Pennsylvania fiber network?

The network is scheduled for completion in mid-2026.

What services will Lightpath's Pennsylvania network offer?

The network will offer dark fiber, conduit, wavelengths up to 800 Gbps, Ethernet, and Internet services for hyperscalers, enterprises, educators, governments, carriers, and wireless providers.

How many AI infrastructure regions has Lightpath announced in 2025?

Eastern Pennsylvania is Lightpath's third AI infrastructure region announced in 2025, following Phoenix (February) and Columbus (April).

What regions will Lightpath's new Pennsylvania network connect to?

The network will connect Eastern Pennsylvania to Ashburn, Virginia's data center hub, New York City, and New Jersey.