CPP Investments Partners with AT&T, GIP on Fiber JV
Matt Toledo of Chief Investment Officer reports CPP Investments partners with AT&T, GIP on fiber joint venture:AT&T Corp. announced on Tuesday an agreement with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and BlackRock Inc.’s Global Infrastructure Partners unit to form a joint venture to invest in commercial fiber internet infrastructure.
The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027, pending regulatory approval.
Under the agreement, AT&T will hold a 50% stake in the venture—Forged Fiber 37—with GIP and CPP Investments owning the other 50%. A statement from AT&T noted that the new organization will accelerate the delivery of the infrastructure needed to support the high-performance connectivity demanded by the artificial intelligence boom.
“Demand for reliable, high-capacity connectivity continues to grow, making fiber infrastructure an increasingly important part of the digital economy,” said James Bryce, CPP Investments’ head of infrastructure, in a statement. “By combining AT&T’s extensive fiber expertise with strategic capital, this joint venture is well positioned to expand critical connectivity across the United States and to generate long-term investment value for the CPP Fund.”
GIP manages more than $200 billion in assets. CPP Investments managed C$863.6 billion ($606.46 billion) in assets as of June 30, benefiting more than 22 million contributors and beneficiaries.
Investing.com also reports AT&T forms fiber joint venture with GIP and CPP Investments:
DALLAS - AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) announced today an agreement with affiliates of Global Infrastructure Partners and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board to form a fiber joint venture combining Forged Fiber 37 and Gigapower operations.
The joint venture will operate as a wholesale fiber commercial open access company. AT&T will hold 50% ownership, with GIP and CPP Investments collectively owning the remaining 50%, according to a press release statement.
Forged Fiber 37 is the subsidiary holding fiber assets AT&T acquired from Lumen Technologies on February 2, 2026. Gigapower is AT&T’s existing wholesale fiber joint venture with GIP.
The transaction supports AT&T’s plans to reach more than 60 million fiber locations by the end of 2030. The joint venture will enable fiber expansion in major metro areas across 16 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Oregon, and Washington.
"Fiber is the definitive connectivity technology for an AI-driven world," said John Stankey, Chairman and CEO of AT&T. "By partnering with leading digital infrastructure investors, we see significant opportunity to strengthen our scale advantage in fiber."
AT&T expects to receive proceeds at closing which it intends to use consistent with its capital allocation priorities, including achieving its net-debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio target in the 2.5x range within approximately three years.
The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Until closing, AT&T expects to continue reporting Forged Fiber 37 as held-for-sale and discontinued operations. After closing, AT&T does not expect to consolidate the joint venture’s financial results but plans to report its share of equity income or loss in earnings.
AT&T reaffirmed the financial outlook and capital allocation plan provided in its second-quarter 2026 earnings release.
GIP, part of BlackRock, has over $200 billion in assets under management. CPP Investments manages the Canada Pension Plan Fund, which totaled C$863.6 billion as of June 30, 2026.
Yesterday, CPP Investments announced it will form a new fibre joint venture with AT&T and Global Infrastructure Partners:
The joint venture will bring together Forged Fiber 37 and Gigapower under one wholesale fiber commercial open access company to accelerate expansion of fiber internet across more U.S. communities
Key Takeaways:
- New joint venture will extend AT&T’s fiber scale advantage, bringing the unrivaled benefits of fiber connectivity – ultra high-speed, unmatched capacity, and world-class reliability – to more Americans while laying the foundation for an AI-enabled future
- This joint venture will create new opportunities for AT&T to grow high-value customer relationships by offering fiber and wireless connectivity services together; customers who subscribe to both enjoy the fastest converged experience in the nation1 25
- Leading digital infrastructure investors Global Infrastructure Partners and CPP Investments will support AT&T’s plans to accelerate fiber expansion across more U.S. communities
- Transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027
TORONTO, ON and DALLAS, TX, (October 6, 2026) – AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) affiliates and affiliates of Global Infrastructure Partners (“GIP”), a part of BlackRock, and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (“CPP Investments”) have agreed to form a new U.S. fiber joint venture (the “JV”) to bring fiber to more homes across the country.
The JV will operate as a leading wholesale fiber commercial open access company and will include Forged Fiber 37 – the newly created subsidiary holding the fiber build engine, network assets, and operations that AT&T recently acquired from Lumen, and Gigapower – AT&T’s existing wholesale fiber joint venture with GIP.2
The investments by AT&T – America’s largest fiber provider – and GIP and CPP Investments will enable the planned acceleration of fiber builds in more communities across the country. The JV will help accelerate delivery of critical infrastructure needed to help meet America’s growing demand for high-performance advanced connectivity as AI begins to reshape network traffic. This supports AT&T’s plans to reach more than 60 million fiber locations by the end of 2030.3
“Fiber is the definitive connectivity technology for an AI-driven world,” said John Stankey, Chairman and CEO of AT&T. “Demand for symmetrical, high-capacity, low-latency connectivity is only increasing, and this JV will bring the unmatched benefits of high-speed, reliable fiber connectivity to more Americans. By partnering with leading digital infrastructure investors, we see significant opportunity to strengthen our scale advantage in fiber, broaden availability of our award-winning services and grow our leadership in converged fiber and 5G connectivity.”
“Reliable, high-speed connectivity is becoming increasingly essential to how Americans work, learn and access services,” added Mark Florian, Head of GIP Mid-Markets Funds. “By bringing Gigapower and Forged Fiber 37 together, this joint venture with AT&T and CPP Investments aims to help meet growing demand for high-capacity broadband, while providing our clients with exposure to a scaled infrastructure business positioned to benefit from the long-term digitalization of the global economy.”
“Demand for reliable, high-capacity connectivity continues to grow, making fiber infrastructure an increasingly important part of the digital economy,” said James Bryce, Managing Director and Head of Infrastructure at CPP Investments. “By combining AT&T’s extensive fiber expertise with strategic capital, this joint venture is well positioned to expand critical connectivity across the United States and to generate long-term investment value for the CPP Fund.”
I was going to cover this deal yesterday but wanted to take my time to cover it properly.
First, it's all about fiber nowadays. Back in March, AT&T said it will invest $250 billion to expand the US connectivity infrastructure:
AT&T will invest more than $250 billion through 2030 to expand fiber, wireless, and satellite connectivity infrastructure across the United States. The spending will also fund workforce training and infrastructure upgrades supporting more than 100 million customers on its networks.
“Today, we’re committing more than $250 billion to increase U.S. connectivity competitiveness and expand access to AT&T’s leading fiber and wireless networks,” AT&T Chairman and CEO John Stankey said.
The investment will support expanded fiber and 5G deployments, satellite coverage through AT&T’s collaboration with AST SpaceMobile (a company working to provide mobile broadband from space), and continued development of FirstNet—the nationwide network built for first responders such as police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel.
Some have questioned the $250 billion figure, stating it's not as big as it sounds, but it's clear the company is on a mission to build out its fiber network all over the US.
More recently, AT&T announced it will commit $19 billion of investment in California’s fiber and wireless networks by the end of 2030, building the high-speed connectivity required for the next era of innovation and economic growth in the state.
These are massive expenditures and that's where GIP (now part of Blackrock) and CPP Investments come in to help the company grow its fiber network, owning a big stake in these operations.
As stated above, under the agreement, AT&T will hold a 50% stake in the venture—Forged Fiber 37—with GIP and CPP Investments owning the other 50%.
Forged Fiber 37 will accelerate the delivery of the infrastructure needed to support the high-performance connectivity demanded by the artificial intelligence boom.
Just remember, huge telecommunications companies like AT&T need to spend massively to upgrade the US connectivity infrastructure and fiber is what it's all about:
“Fiber is the definitive connectivity technology for an AI-driven world,” said John Stankey, Chairman and CEO of AT&T. “Demand for symmetrical, high-capacity, low-latency connectivity is only increasing, and this JV will bring the unmatched benefits of high-speed, reliable fiber connectivity to more Americans. By partnering with leading digital infrastructure investors, we see significant opportunity to strengthen our scale advantage in fiber, broaden availability of our award-winning services and grow our leadership in converged fiber and 5G connectivity.”
“Reliable, high-speed connectivity is becoming increasingly essential to how Americans work, learn and access services,” added Mark Florian, Head of GIP Mid-Markets Funds. “By bringing Gigapower and Forged Fiber 37 together, this joint venture with AT&T and CPP Investments aims to help meet growing demand for high-capacity broadband, while providing our clients with exposure to a scaled infrastructure business positioned to benefit from the long-term digitalization of the global economy.”
“Demand for reliable, high-capacity connectivity continues to grow, making fiber infrastructure an increasingly important part of the digital economy,” said James Bryce, Managing Director and Head of Infrastructure at CPP Investments. “By combining AT&T’s extensive fiber expertise with strategic capital, this joint venture is well positioned to expand critical connectivity across the United States and to generate long-term investment value for the CPP Fund.”
John Stankey, AT&T's CEO (featured above), has done a fantastic job leading this company, and he's not done yet.
This deal also reminds me of PSP's joint venture with BCE to accelerate Zipply Fiber's growth (see my coverage here).
It's not the same scale but you see how big telecom companies are partnering up with long-term capital investors to accelerate the growth of their fiber network.
That's a smart and efficient use of capital.
Below, AT&T CEO John Stankey and Corning Chairman and CEO Wendell Weeks discuss their companies' $3 billion fiber agreement on 'The Claman Countdown (from September 29th).
Also, what’s driving the next big shift in telecom? Nicolai Tangen talks with John Stankey, President and CEO of AT&T, about transforming a 150-year-old company for the AI era. They discuss why fiber infrastructure is critical, how AI will drive unprecedented data demand, and the role of satellite connectivity.
Stankey shares his philosophy on cultural change, managing 130,000 employees, and why AT&T is focused on North America. With millions of customers and major fiber investments underway, AT&T is positioning itself for the next decade.














Recent comments