Zayo has expanded its supply agreement with Corning for fibre optic cable, securing a significant share of the cable it expects to need through the rest of the decade.
The move comes as demand for network construction rises with the build-out of artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The arrangement is designed to reduce the risk of material shortages as Zayo presses ahead with a major expansion of its long-haul network. It plans to add 15,000 new route miles by 2030, including more than 8,000 miles of new long-haul fibre under a previously announced collaboration with Nvidia.
Across the digital infrastructure sector, operators have been investing in new routes and additional capacity as AI workloads drive more traffic between data centres, cloud regions, and computing sites. That has increased focus on the physical components needed to build networks, including fibre optic cable.
Supply pressure
Zayo has been modelling network demand for several years and is now extending that planning to cover access to key materials alongside route design and capacity. Securing cable earlier in the build cycle should give it greater certainty over where and when projects can move forward.
Steve Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Zayo, linked the move directly to the pace of AI-related network demand.
"AI infrastructure is changing where and how quickly network capacity needs to be built," Smith said. "We understand where demand is moving, and we're putting the physical inputs in place now to build ahead of it. Deepening our relationship with Corning gives us greater confidence that material availability won't stand between customer demand and the infrastructure required to deliver it."
Corning, which supplies fibre optic cable and other materials-based products, said AI is changing the scale and density of connectivity required across communications networks.
"AI is driving a fundamental increase in the amount and density of fiber optic cable and connectivity required across the network," said Steve Mitchell, Senior Vice President of Corning Incorporated. "As networks evolve to meet those demands, providers need solutions that can accelerate deployment, increase capacity, and support long-term scalability. Our expanded relationship with Zayo brings together Corning's industry-leading optical innovations with Zayo's network expertise to help build the physical infrastructure required for AI at scale."
Expansion plans
The cable commitment supports what Zayo described as one of the largest network expansion efforts in its history. Alongside new long-haul routes, it is also adding capacity on existing corridors where AI-related infrastructure is concentrated.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in telecoms infrastructure planning, as operators try to position networks near clusters of data centre development and large-scale computing projects. Long-haul fibre construction can take years because of route planning, permits, and material procurement.
Troy Lupe, Chief Network Officer of Zayo, said early supply arrangements can remove a key execution risk from such projects.
"Anyone can draw a route on a map, but building it is a different story. Long-haul construction requires years of planning, permitting, materials, and disciplined execution," Lupe said. "Our experience building networks at this scale allows us to anticipate and manage execution risks before they become constraints. Corning understands what it takes to support an expansion of this magnitude and the speed required to deliver it. Securing fiber optic cable supply through our expanded agreement takes one critical variable off the table as we execute our network expansion."
Zayo said its network spans 32 million fibre miles and 224,000 route miles across North America, with connections into more than 400 markets globally. The latest supply agreement suggests it expects demand for physical network build-outs to remain strong as AI investment continues to reshape data traffic patterns and infrastructure requirements.