Uniti Wholesale Accelerates 2026 Expansion; FastWaves™ Delivers 100G/400G in Days, Not Months
Rhea-AI Summary
Uniti Wholesale (NASDAQ:UNIT) is accelerating its 2026 network expansion with ~20 new data center on-ramps, six major route upgrades, and the launch of FastWaves™, a pre-deployed optical capacity program to deliver 100G and 400G wavelengths in less than three weeks on select routes.
Phase 1 will activate 40 high-demand routes by March 1, 2026; Phase 2 will add 15 routes early in Q2. Customers can quote and order via the iconnect Route Creator tool; an SLA covers missed three-week install intervals.
Positive
- ~20 new data center on-ramps planned in 2026
- Six major route upgrades/new builds to expand U.S. connectivity
- FastWaves delivery of 100G/400G in less than three weeks on select routes
- Phase 1: 40 high-demand routes targeted by March 1, 2026
- Phase 2: 15 additional routes planned early in Q2 2026
Negative
- Initial coverage limited to 40 routes in Phase 1, leaving many routes phased later
- Capacity release is incremental and depends on build and augmentation milestones
News Market Reaction
On the day this news was published, UNIT declined 1.56%, reflecting a mild negative market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
No peers appeared in the momentum scanner. REIT peers show mixed, mostly modest moves (e.g., FPI -1.08%, OUT -1.49%, PCH +1.29%), suggesting the UNIT move is more stock-specific than sector-driven.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 17 | Leadership appointment | Neutral | -0.4% | Kinetic named its first chief customer officer to bolster customer focus. |
| Jan 30 | Securitization financing | Neutral | -2.6% | Completed $960.1M secured fiber revenue term notes for general corporate purposes. |
| Jan 26 | Earnings date set | Neutral | +0.0% | Announced date and webcast details for Q4 and full year 2025 results. |
| Jan 21 | Upsized debt offering | Negative | -0.8% | Priced upsized $1.0B 8.625% senior notes due 2032 to repay term loan. |
| Jan 21 | Senior notes launch | Negative | +3.3% | Announced private offering of $500M 8.625% senior notes due 2032. |
Recent news shows a mix of financing and corporate updates, with most events aligning directionally with sentiment and one notable divergence on a senior notes announcement.
Over recent months, Uniti has focused on capital structure and strategic positioning. It announced and priced senior notes due 2032, including an upsized $1.0 billion offering, and completed a $960.1 million fiber securitization, generally using proceeds for debt repayment and capital expenditures. It also scheduled Q4 and full-year 2025 results and created a new chief customer officer role. Today’s network expansion and FastWaves update builds on this balance-sheet and operational repositioning.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement details a 2026 network push, including about 20 new data center on-ramps, 6 major route upgrades, and the FastWaves program for sub-three-week 100G/400G delivery on 40 plus 15 routes. It builds on recent capital actions, such as a $1.0B senior notes offering and $960.1M securitization. Investors may focus on how quickly Uniti fills this new capacity and how expansion interacts with its existing debt load and upcoming earnings update.
Key Terms
wavelength services technical
optical capacity technical
muxponders technical
sla technical
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Feb. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Uniti Wholesale today announced accelerated progress on its 2026 expansion plan, including new data center on-ramps, key route upgrades, and the launch of FastWaves™—a pre-deployed optical capacity program designed to cut delivery intervals for 100G and 400G wavelength services to less than three weeks on select routes.
These initiatives expand the company’s reach to critical U.S. data centers while pairing faster turn-ups with market-aligned pricing and strong service assurance, reinforcing Uniti’s role as a trusted infrastructure partner to carriers, hyperscalers, and global enterprises.
Network Expansion
Uniti Wholesale is making a significant capital investment in 2026 to expand connectivity between the most important data centers in the U.S., with approximately 20 new data center on-ramps and six major route upgrades and new routes. This aligns with the company’s commitment to delivering best-in-class Wavelength services via its nationwide Intelligent Converged Network (ICON) network, designed for 10G, 100G, 400G and 800G speeds to meet the multiple-terabit demands of AI. Six initial data center projects are underway with many more to follow, targeted for completion this year:
- Austin, Texas (Data Foundry)
- El Segundo, Calif. (Equinix)
- Franklin, Tenn. (Flexential)
- Chandler, Ariz. (H5)
- McAllen, Texas (1547)
- Clifton, N.J. (DRT)
Route initiatives include upgrades or new builds on approximately six corridors, with three already in motion: Minneapolis–Chicago, Denver–Dallas, and Dallas Metro. These efforts complement Uniti Wholesale’s broader expansion to improve access to data center locations, international cable landing stations, and regional cloud hubs, with ongoing enhancements toward supporting 800G wave capability.
FastWaves™: Faster Delivery, Lower Cost
To meet surging demand for high-capacity transport, Uniti Wholesale is launching FastWaves to shrink delivery intervals. The company is pre-deploying muxponders to provide excess line-system capacity across its ICON network. This enables delivery of 100G and 400G waves in less than three weeks on select routes. Phase 1 will activate 40 high-demand routes and is targeted for completion by March 1. Phase 2 will add 15 more routes early in the second quarter, with further expansions coming online as capacity allows.
Customers gain complete visibility of route availability through the iconnect customer portal via the Route Creator tool, where they can quote and order directly.
The FastWaves program features some of the most aggressive pricing Uniti Wholesale offers for waves and includes an SLA-backed commitment when three-week install intervals are not met. Robust SLA commitments and optional diverse, geographically separated routes underscore carrier-class resiliency across the program.
“Customers need capacity where it matters, delivered faster and more predictably. With FastWaves and expanded data center on-ramps, we’re compressing delivery intervals and simplifying how partners scale across the U.S.,” said Greg Ortyl, executive vice president and president of Uniti Wholesale.
FastWaves orders begin the first week of March. Customers can view route availability and initiate quotes and orders through the iconnect Route Creator tool. As demand grows, additional capacity will be released on a rolling basis as build and augmentation milestones are met.
About Uniti Wholesale
Uniti Wholesale, a business unit of Uniti (NASDAQ: UNIT), builds and delivers customer-driven dark fiber infrastructure and high-capacity wavelengths, ethernet and wireless access leveraging our optical transport network reaching nearly every hyperscale and AI firm, communications services provider, Fortune 500 enterprise and federal government customers in the U.S. and Canada. Additional information about Uniti Wholesale is available at unitiwholesale.com. Engage with us on LinkedIn.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended from time to time. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions with respect to the future and Uniti management’s current expectations, involve certain risks and uncertainties, and are not guarantees. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the strategic expansion of the Uniti Wholesale network and launch of the FastWaves optical capacity program. The words “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “projects,” “will,” “would,” “predicts” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could lead to actual results differing materially from those projected, forecasted or expected. Although we believe that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, that could cause events and results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to the merger of Uniti and Windstream; competition and overbuilding in consumer service areas and general competition in business markets; risks related to the Company’s indebtedness, which could reduce funds available for business purposes and operational flexibility; rapid changes in technology, which could affect its ability to compete; risks relating to information technology system failures, network disruptions, and failure to protect, loss of, or unauthorized access to, or release of, data; risks related to various forms of regulation from the Federal Communications Commission, state regulatory commissions and other government entities and effects of unfavorable legal proceedings, government investigations, and complex and changing laws; risks inherent in the communications industry and associated with general economic conditions; and additional risks set forth in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of the Company’s most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as well as the Company’s predecessor’s registration statement on Form S-4 dated February 12, 2025. The discussion of such risks is not an indication that any such risks have occurred at the time of this filing. Uniti does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
Media Contact:
Scott Morris, 501-748-5342
scott.l.morris@uniti.com
FAQ
What is Uniti Wholesale's FastWaves program and how fast are 100G/400G installs for UNIT?
Which data center locations will UNIT add on-ramps to in 2026 and by when?
How many routes will Uniti activate in FastWaves Phase 1 and what is the target date?
When will UNIT add more FastWaves routes beyond Phase 1 and how many?
How can customers order FastWaves capacity from Uniti (UNIT)?
What resiliency and pricing features does UNIT offer with FastWaves orders?
