C Spire has continued its push into Alabama with the acquisition of Harbor Communications LLC, which provides consumer and business telecommunications services on the Gulf Coast of the state.
Privately held C Spire released no deal terms in the press release. It said that services would be uninterrupted during the ownership transition. The first order of business for the new owner will be to deploy its all-fiber approach to upgrade and expand Harbor’s infrastructure in Mobile and Baldwin counties, two counties that comprise Alabama’s Gulf Coast.
C Spire offers wireless and broadband in its home state of Mississippi but has begun expanding into Alabama, which according to a C Spire press release, ranks 38th among the 50 states on broadband availability.
At an online press conference, C Spire CEO Hu Meena touted the success C Spire has had in spurring broadband deployment in Mississippi and pledged to do the same in Alabama.
In Mississippi, he said, C Spire “expanded faster than any other carrier” and forced other carriers to cover areas they might not have served otherwise.
Mobile-based Harbor Communications has provided commercial and residential Internet, phone, MDU and disaster recovery services to the two counties since 2001. The service provider has offices in Mobile and Orange Beach and also serves the cities Gulf Shores, Spanish Fort, Daphne and Fairhope.
Harbor will continue to operate under its current name with the same management team.
“Throughout its 32-year history, C Spire has grown both organically and through strategic acquisitions,” Meena said in a press release. “Harbor is a great addition to our family and solidifies even further our efforts to become the dominant market player in Alabama and the Southeast region.”
Last week, Ridgeland, MS-based C Spire said that it had begun serving customers in Alabama. The first area lit is the northern portion of Jasper. Some Trussville neighborhoods will get service by the end of the month.
The provider initially said that it intended to enter the Alabama market last December. Plans included projects in Birmingham and Shelby County.
Joan Engebretson contributed to this report.
