T Mobile and Lumos Networks could create US JV

 The project would see T-Mobile US building its own fibre network, starting in Virginia 

According to a report from German new source Handelsblatt, T-Mobile, the US’s second largest wireless carrier, is in discussions to enter a joint venture (JV) with US-based fibre network operator Lumos Networks to build fibre networks in the US.

The T-Mobile fibre website states that the company currently ongoing fibre sales in thirteen US states, which does not currently include Virginia.  Lumos Networks, however, currently have operations in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, providing fibre connections to 300,000 across these states – aiming to pass 1 million by 2026. 

The German article states that according to sources at T-Mobile’s parent company Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile could invest as much as $1 billion in the JV.  

T-Mobile have so far declined to comment on the report. 

Back in 2022, Bloomberg reported that T Mobile US was exploring its options to build a US fibre network, and had hired investment banking firm Citigroup to advise on potential candidates. Here, Bloomberg noted that exploration into the fibre industry would require several billions of dollars of investment.