Q4 2018

      
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Welcome

Welcome to the final installation of the Bluebird Network quarterly newsletter for 2018. We hope all of our readers had a productive and fulfilling 2018 and we thank you for continuing to follow Bluebird into 2019. In each newsletter we bring you the latest updates about Bluebird activities, industry news and upcoming events. We have some especially exciting news to announce this quarter: Bluebird Network is to be acquired by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners. Please see the full press release below and take a look at our FAQ here. We encourage you to check out the information provided within this newsletter, click on the article links, visit our website (simply “click” on the menu tabs above) and share our newsletters with others who may benefit from our information. We thank all our members and customers for their continued support and wish you the best of luck in the coming year!

Michael Morey,
President and CEO


An Overview of Bluebird Network

Bluebird Network is a Midwest telecommunications company that provides an efficient and fast fiber-optic network to rural and urban customers throughout the Midwest. Bluebird Network focuses on combining cutting-edge technology and the brightest individuals to deliver high-speed broadband and Internet services, and secure data storage solutions to Enterprise, Carrier and Data Center customers throughout Missouri, Illinois and the surrounding states. Our data center, the Bluebird Underground Data Center located in Springfield, Missouri, is an underground colocation facility that offers hardware and equipment protection from natural and unnatural disasters. For our customers, our services translate to quality, continuity, and performance. At Bluebird Network, we understand that success is all about good connections.

BLUEBIRD NEWS
Bluebird Network to be Acquired by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners

Bluebird to Immediately Expand Midwest Fiber Footprint; Uniti Group to Finance the Transaction Through a Sale / Leaseback Agreement

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI — January 15, 2019 — Bluebird Network, LLC, (“Bluebird” or the “Company”) a Midwest telecommunications company, is being acquired by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners (“MIP”) for an undisclosed amount. MIP is a long-term infrastructure investment fund that is managed by the Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (“MIRA”) division of Macquarie Group.

MIP has partnered with Uniti Group Inc. (NASDAQ: UNIT) (“Uniti”) to finance the transaction. Uniti will acquire Bluebird’s fiber network and then lease it back to Bluebird under a long-term lease. As part of the transaction, Bluebird will also acquire Uniti’s Midwestern fiber business and receive a long-term lease over Uniti’s Midwestern fiber network, which consists of approximately 2,500 miles of network predominantly in Illinois. Upon completion of the transactions the two adjacent networks will be combined and operated as one company under the Bluebird name. The Company will be operated by the existing Bluebird management team and employee-base headquartered in Columbia, MO, led by Chief Executive Officer, Michael Morey.


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Bluebird Network Fiber Optic Infrastructure Fuels Appetite for Hannibal Business Growth

Bluebird Network, a leading Midwest telecommunications company, has expanded its high-speed broadband fiber in Hannibal, Missouri. Through the buried fiber routes, the fiber optic infrastructure in the City results in access to more high-speed communication services that the City wants, the public wants, and that Bluebird is proud to provide. The fast and efficient broadband infrastructure serves the City, its agencies and local businesses, and provides the ability to connect other broadband areas to the City which supports the drive for economic growth. The expansion of this network provides lateral build opportunities to connect nearby rural communities to the City, and will ultimately provide fiber for business growth within the future Industrial Park. With businesses depending heavily on the power of digital communication, this expanded network sustains high performance, speed and reliability while being utilized by the community.


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UNDERGROUND UPDATES
Bluebird Underground – Planning on the Demands of Data

Bluebird Network recognizes the growing need for Internet connectivity, the Internet of Things, social media demands and the constant collection of “big data” for advanced analytics has increased the pressure of change for data centers and how we meet this challenge. Without exception, we must continue to meet the data demand with a guaranteed level of service and cost control. Staying ahead of the data demand is key to staying successful. Forecasting this demand accurately while maintaining the optimal level of service is not easy, but a successful balance between these two necessities results in a high-quality data center.

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ENTERPRISE APPRECIATION

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BEHIND THE NETWORK
An Inside Look at What Runs Our Network

As internet usage further permeates every aspect of professional and personal life, the internet is often viewed from the perspective of the end user, based on how everyday consumers use the internet to share information, communicate and do other day-to-day activities. However, there are many things going on behind the scenes that make everyday internet usage possible. While consumers may see the internet as a city to visit and explore, Bluebird Network views the internet a little differently: as a system to be improved and maintained. From an engineering and operations standpoint, the internet would function like a series of libraries along a train track: the train track being the network itself and the libraries function as information drop-off and pickup-points that are managed by the consumer. Bluebird Network provides the fiber track and services to allow information to travel between the libraries. To keep the fiber track expanding and operational, Bluebird Network has dedicated staff that manages each aspect of the process. Our Outside Plant team looks for opportunities to expand our fiber ‘track’. Architecture and Engineering teams provide is robust, up-to-date, and expandable fiber ‘track’ technology. Operations team provides 24 x 7 support to fix and maintain a healthy fiber ‘track’ through resiliency, diversity, configuration safeguards and more. While not directly related with the network, Sales, Contract Management, Marketing, and Service Delivery teams are always available to service the needs of the end users themselves, the ‘libraries’. Bluebird Network provides a key role in building the backbone the internet, providing a fiber optic network which can handle any type of internet transactions and activities and maintaining the fundamental ‘track’ that allows internet information to flow freely and reach its final destination.

INDUSTRY CHATTER
What’s Driving the Midwest Data Center Boom?

More and more, businesses are recognizing the benefits of virtualization and public and private cloud solutions to host their data and applications while addressing business continuity and disaster recovery. In order to make the most out of this strategy, choosing the right location is key.

Like any real estate investment, choosing the right facility to meet your needs is all about three things: location, location, location. The American Midwest has become a region of choice for colocation and data center investments, offering a cost-effective and reliable alternative to many densely populated coastal regions. Also, being centrally located between both coasts affords an abundance of network connectivity and affordable power, it’s pretty easy to understand why this region continues to develop.


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Bluebird Breaks (Down) the Internet

In anticipation for the release of Ralph Breaks the Internet, Bluebird Network did some ‘breaking’ of our own! We asked our team some questions about how they see the internet and how Bluebird plays a role! Bluebird Network provides industry insight on the topic of: “Breaking the Internet”. Is it truly possible to do? If so, how? How would Bluebird fix it? How does Bluebird Network help prevent it?


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Going Underground for Data Center Assurance and Security

We exist in a world today that has witnessed more transformation in the last decade than over this past century. Knowledgeable systems digitally driven by powerful and innovative platforms and next-gen technologies like distributed cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the all-encompassing Internet of Things (IoT) make up only a partial list. This relentless appetite for innovation and evolution creates a pace for advancement that can present both challenges and opportunities for that measurement called “success.”


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The Future of 4G and Connecting Rural America
Data Center POST Interview with James Taylor, Director of Carrier Sales, Bluebird Network

Data Center POST recently interviewed Bluebird Network’s Director of Carrier Sales, James Taylor. James is a 28-year telecommunications industry veteran with experience in sales, operations and business development. Prior to joining Bluebird, he worked with the Lincoln Telephone Company, Aliant Communications, Alltel and Windstream. Today, Bluebird Network has over 6,500 fiber route miles of high-speed broadband and fiber-optic connections.


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Corporate HQ
2005 W. Broadway Bldg. A
Suite 215
Columbia, MO 65203
Phone: 1-573-777-4200
Toll Free: 1-855-BLUEBIRD
Kansas City Office
800 N.W. Chipman Road
Suite 5750
Lee’s Summit, MO 64063
Phone: 816-361-8821
Toll Free: 888-832-6662
 
St. Louis Office
10024 Office Center Avenue
Suite 201
St. Louis, Missouri 63128
Phone: 1-314-270-8730
Bluebird Underground
1904 N. LeCompte
Springfield, Missouri 65802
Phone: 1-417-851-0200