Multi-year agreement expands Bluebird Fiber’s optical capacity in phases enabling 400G services for customers across the growing Midwest AI Corridor.
Paris and Kansas City 30 September, 2026 – Ekinops (Euronext Paris – FR0011466069 – EKI), a leading provider of open, trusted, and innovative network connectivity solutions, today announced that it has agreed to a multi-year contract with Bluebird Fiber to upgrade and expand its optical network infrastructure.
Bluebird Fiber is a United States Midwest-based infrastructure provider of carrier-class fiber connectivity, delivering high-capacity internet, transport and data center solutions to businesses and carriers. Bluebird operates in twelve states with more than 36,000 route miles of fiber, serving over 450 Points-of-Presence (PoPs) and over 750,000 on-net and near-net buildings. Bluebird Fiber will use Ekinops’ carrier grade, high-capacity optical networking solutions to dramatically increase core backbone capacity and high-capacity wavelength connectivity to address growing data center, hyperscale, and wholesale demand.
Key highlights of the relationship include:
- Architecture Modernization: Bluebird Fiber will use Ekinops DWDM Optical Networking solutions to deploy the latest generation coherent technology to increase capacity and flexibility, enabling 100G – 400G services across its network.
- Service Enablement: Increased performance will enable Bluebird Fiber to deliver high capacity, low latency dedicated wave services on diverse paths across the Midwest.
- Multi-year Partnership: The multi-year agreement establishes Ekinops as a strategic technology partner in Bluebird Fiber’s ongoing network upgrade and expansion efforts. The partnership includes deployment of Ekinops Optical Networking systems and Enterprise Networking solutions to support Bluebird’s long-term growth strategy.
Joe Meyer, COO at Bluebird Fiber said: “Ekinops continues to be a great partner. They deliver the solutions we need when we need them, allowing us to deploy the latest technology quickly. Just as important, their approach gives us the flexibility to scale our network as demand grows, helping us expand capacity faster and better support the evolving needs of our current and future customers.
“The opportunity to strengthen and expand our partnership with Bluebird Fiber means a great deal to us,” said Kevin Antill, Chief Revenue Officer, North America at Ekinops. “It validates our unwavering commitment to our customers and highlights Ekinops’ continued ability to deliver the right solutions at the right time to the right markets.”
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About Bluebird Fiber
Bluebird Fiber is a premier communications infrastructure provider and data center operator headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Since 1999, Bluebird Fiber has provided transport, dark fiber, and voice services via its fiber infrastructure to carriers, hyperscalers, governments, and enterprise businesses in the Midwest. Bluebird Fiber operates more than 36,000 route miles on its 100% fiber optic backbone, with over 750,000 on-net and near-net buildings, and over 450 Points of Presence (POPs) across 12 states. To learn more, please visit our website www.bluebirdfiber.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
Bluebird Fiber Media Contact
Holly Makatura
holly.makatura@bluebirdfiber.com
303-437-2180
About Ekinops
Ekinops is a leader in optical networking and secured connectivity solutions for service providers, enterprises and public organizations around the world. Ekinops designs, develops and manufactures high-performance solutions with cutting-edge software used to deliver high-bandwidth connectivity and managed services in over 70 countries worldwide.
Ekinops leads in the areas of:
- Advanced coherent optical networking for all metropolitan, regional, long‑distance and datacenter interconnection applications
- Secured connectivity solutions for enterprises, from voice and data routing devices to Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) capabilities, including ZTNA, SD-WAN, and SSE.
Ekinops operates globally and is listed on Euronext Paris (FR0011466069 – EKI).
Ekinops Media Contact
Amy Dell
amy@iseepr.co.uk
+44 (0) 113 350 1922
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