To meet surging demand for consumer broadband and converged services alongside emerging AI needs, Verizon and Corning have reached a multi-billion dollar agreement for 80+ million miles of high-density optical fibre and connectivity solutions from 2027 to 2032. The multi-use fibre deployment will accelerate broadband expansion for homes and businesses while building the national long-haul backbone required by AI hyperscalers.
“Securing this volume of fibre allows us to continue building the network of the future at an unprecedented scale,” said Kyle Malady, the CEO of Verizon Business. “We are deploying a single, converged architecture that unites mobile connectivity and broadband into one seamless experience for millions of families and businesses, while simultaneously building the high-capacity, low-latency backbone AI hyperscalers demand. With Corning as our partner, we are securing the physical foundation of America’s AI economy.”
Unlocking mobile and broadband convergence
This fibre supply accelerates Verizon’s push towards 40-50 million broadband passings. Expanding fibre-to-the-home and local business connectivity ensures communities across the nation gain access to ultra-fast, reliable internet, and the power to choose how they connect. Cell towers, enterprise data centres, and residential neighbourhoods will connect to the exact same high-capacity backbone. For customers, this converged architecture delivers a digital experience that is continuous whether they are at home or on the move.
Building the backbone for the AI era
Beyond enabling convergence, this multi-use fibre foundation serves as the physical engine for the AI era. Because heavy AI workloads demand near-zero latency and massive throughput, high-density fibre is essential to support the ever-growing scale of large language models (LLMs). Through Verizon’s AI Connect strategy, the company is deploying ultra-dense cables across major long-haul corridors to directly connect data centres. By expanding this critical interconnectivity, Verizon positions itself as an infrastructure partner for AI hyperscalers, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS). Importantly, these fibre networks also help ensure that AI’s benefits can reach consumers, businesses, schools, and communities. Verizon’s single, multi-use architecture addresses this need, connecting customers while advancing the national backbone of technology.
Fuelled by 30 years of partnership with Corning
An undertaking of this magnitude requires absolute supply chain certainty. To power this buildout, Verizon is deepening its 30-year strategic partnership with Corning, a manufacturer and innovator of advanced glass and fibre optic technology.
The agreement is designed to enable Corning to continue to scale its US manufacturing footprint to help ensure Verizon has the physical materials needed to execute its convergence strategy and expand its long-haul AI corridors. These include Corning® Contour™ Flow Cable, which enables Verizon to deploy significantly more optical fibre within conduit pathways. The flexible ribbon cable maximises the value of Verizon’s infrastructure investments while substantially increasing network capacity and bandwidth.
“Corning is thrilled to deepen our three-decade partnership with Verizon as we provide our latest optical innovations in fibre, cable, and connectivity to link AI data centres together while ensuring more Americans have access to AI with high-speed fibre connections at home,” said Mike O’Day, the senior vice president and general manager at Corning Optical Communications. “This partnership demonstrates that Gen AI and broadband expansion are part of the same transformative opportunity. Corning is proud to build on our 175-year legacy of supporting our customers’ growth with breakthrough innovations that we manufacture at scale here in the United States.”
By merging local broadband access, mobile connectivity, and long-haul AI infrastructure onto a single high-capacity grid, Verizon is building one network to serve both consumer broadband and AI demand.
