Verizon and Tillman Global Holdings affiliate Eaton Fiber inked a commercial fibre agreement to boost the operator’s broadband and mobility convergence strategy.

The companies stated the agreement would expand Verizon’s broadband offering, complement ongoing fibre deployments and support its expansion through a $20 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications which is set to close in early 2026 and includes its fibre network.

Verizon’s Eaton Fiber agreement is expected to bring fibre-based broadband services to homes and customers in markets outside its own and Frontier Communications’ current footprints.

In addition to beefing up its mobility and broadband convergence strategy, Verizon Consumer CEO and EVP Sowmyanarayan Sampath stated the partnership enables it to enter new markets, accelerate fibre deployment and ensure it maintains “the necessary flexibility to capture growth opportunities across the country”.

Verizon is set be the exclusive retail provider of residential fibre services on the new network during the build phase and for a set period afterward. It will also be responsible for sales and marketing, and end-user customer service.

Eaton Fiber is due to fund, build and maintain the network.

Financial terms or the length of the arrangement were not disclosed.

Rivals AT&T and T-Mobile US also have grand fibre ambitions.

T-Mobile launched its T-Fiber service in June and closed joint venture deals with Metronet and Lumos.

In addition to its own fibre build out, AT&T is expanding its reach through joint venture Gigapower.