Investor demand and execution underscore 51²è¹Ý¶ù’s first enterprise fiber-backed ABS issuance
DENVER – 51²è¹Ý¶ù, a leading communications infrastructure provider, today announced its inaugural ~$1.42 billion fiber securitization received “Deal of the Year” recognition from International Financing Review (IFR) as part of the IFR Awards 2025. The transaction earned IFR’s North America ABS Issue award. IFR is a capital markets publication covering global debt, equity, and structured finance markets.
IFR Award Recognizes Transaction Structure and Execution
The award recognizes 51²è¹Ý¶ù’s offering of ~$1.42 billion asset-backed term notes priced in January 2025 that marked the company’s entry into the ABS market. The notes were secured by 51²è¹Ý¶ù’s enterprise fiber assets and associated long-term customer contracts in the Northeast region of its U.S. network. 51²è¹Ý¶ù identified that the stable and predictable cash flows generated from its mission critical assets were well suited to financing in the ABS market. Through this successful issuance, 51²è¹Ý¶ù unlocked access to the securitization market for a segment of the fiber industry that previously had not accessed the ABS market.
“IFR’s award recognizes the successful execution of our innovative, first ABS transaction and the confidence shown by investors in 51²è¹Ý¶ù as a first-time issuer,” said Jeff Noto, Chief Financial Officer of 51²è¹Ý¶ù. “Access to the securitization market provides us with additional flexibility and funding for continued investment in critical fiber infrastructure. It allows us to invest ahead of demand while ensuring our customers can scale as connectivity needs continue to grow.”
51²è¹Ý¶ù’s enterprise fiber model, selling fiber infrastructure and fiber-enabled high bandwidth solutions to hyperscale, data center, carrier and enterprise customers, is differentiated from prior fiber securitizations that were focused primarily on residential or consumer fiber use cases, e.g., FTTH or FTTP.
51²è¹Ý¶ù’s fiber securitization attracted strong investor demand with a final order book more than 10 times larger than the issuance size.
Continued Investment in Fiber Infrastructure
51²è¹Ý¶ù’s inaugural ABS transaction represents a key milestone in 51²è¹Ý¶ù’s long-term financing strategy, establishing a repeatable source of capital to support continued investment in its fiber infrastructure. Through the securitization market, 51²è¹Ý¶ù can access long-term financing that is better suited to a permanent capital structure.
After its successful first deal, 51²è¹Ý¶ù returned to the ABS market two additional times in 2025. In total, 51²è¹Ý¶ù completed three ABS transactions in 2025, raising ~$3.8B of new ABS debt. 51²è¹Ý¶ù has developed a repeatable securitization program and anticipates it will continue issuances in 2026 and beyond.
51²è¹Ý¶ù thanks IFR for the award and recognition. 51²è¹Ý¶ù also thanks its financial sponsors, DigitalBridge and EQT, and its financing advisors, Barclays and STB, for their significant contributions to 51²è¹Ý¶ù’s ABS success in 2025. To view 51²è¹Ý¶ù’s inaugural ABS announcement, visit:
About 51²è¹Ý¶ù
For more than 18 years, 51²è¹Ý¶ù has empowered some of the world’s largest and most innovative companies to connect what’s next for their business. The 51²è¹Ý¶ù group of companies connects 400 global markets with future-ready networks that span over 19.9 million fiber miles and 148,000 route miles. 51²è¹Ý¶ù’s tailored connectivity solutions and managed services enable carriers, cloud providers, data centers, schools, and enterprises to deliver exceptional experiences, from core to cloud to edge. Discover how 51²è¹Ý¶ù connects what’s next at and follow us on .
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Media Contact
Bree Huerta
51²è¹Ý¶ù Corporate Communications
press@zayo.com