A national announcement this week involved high-speed fiber internet company Lumos, a firm that intends to install hundreds of miles of high-speed fiber optic cable in New Hanover County.

High Point-based Lumos said last February it would embark on a $56 million project in New Hanover County. The plan is for Lumos  to install more than 600 miles of 100% fiber optic internet network infrastructure in the county, company officials said in an email Thursday. The project is currently under development, according to the email.

Broadband provider T-Mobile (Nasdaq: TMUS) and investment entity EQT announced the close of their joint venture with Lumos, a nearly $1.5 billion investment, on Wednesday.

“Through this partnership, Lumos remains deeply committed to Wilmington and will continue providing seamless, high-performance fiber internet, backed by local expertise to ensure the same trusted service with even greater support,” Lumos officials said in the email.

As part of the joint venture transaction, many Lumos customers will become T-Mobile Fiber customers “and begin enjoying new offers and benefits as they’re welcomed into the Magenta family,” a T-Mobile news release stated. “This deal marks a major milestone in T-Mobile’s broadband growth.”

Currently, Lumos operates a 7,500-mile fiber network, providing high-speed connectivity to 475,000 homes across the Mid-Atlantic, according to the release. The joint venture aims to reach 3.5 million homes by the end of 2028. 

“To fuel this growth, T-Mobile invested $950 million into the joint venture, with an additional $500 million planned between 2027 and 2028 to support further expansion,” the T-Mobile release stated.

T-Mobile will share more about the transaction during its Q1 earnings call, according to the release.

“We’re excited to begin this joint venture and even more energized about what’s ahead,” said Brian Stading, CEO of Lumos, in the release. “Partnering with EQT and T-Mobile, we’re ready to scale faster, deliver cutting-edge fiber technology to more people, and change even more lives. This is about more than just internet – it’s about building the infrastructure of the future and creating lasting opportunity, connection and impact for communities.”

Last year, Wilmington, like other communities across the U.S., began experiencing a competitive growth phase in the area of internet connection infrastructure.