Intermountain Infrastructure Group Announces Northern Tier Fiber Route Now 70 Percent Complete, Targeted For Late 2026 Delivery
IIG’s constructed, owned-and-operated northern corridor is attracting strong customer demand, with further expansion already under consideration
BURLINGAME, CA / ACCESS Newswire / June 8, 2026 / Intermountain Infrastructure Group (IIG), an independent fiber infrastructure owner and operator serving the Western United States and Canada, today announced that its Northern Tier fiber route – a newly constructed, long-haul, infrastructure corridor connecting the Pacific Northwest to central U.S. markets – is approximately 70 percent complete and remains on track for full commercial availability by the end of the year.
The Northern Tier route is a wholly-owned IIG asset, designed and built by IIG to provide carrier-grade capacity, dark fiber and conduit infrastructure across one of North America’s most strategically significant and underserved long-haul corridors. As the underlying infrastructure owner and operator, IIG controls the physical layer of the route – the conduit, fiber, and ILA (in-line amplifier) sites – and works with select wholesale and enterprise partners to deliver services across the corridor.
Strong Customer Demand
IIG has secured multiple customer commitments along the Northern Tier route ahead of completion, reflecting strong market interest in new, independent infrastructure along the northern U.S. corridor. The company attributes this demand to growing requirements from cloud providers, AI infrastructure operators, and enterprises seeking geographic diversity, network resiliency, and access to routes that are not dependent on legacy or consolidated carrier infrastructures.
“The response from the market has been remarkable. We designed the Northern Tier to fill a real gap in the northern U.S. fiber landscape, and the demand we’re seeing validates that thesis – and then some. Customers want access to infrastructure that is purpose-built, independently owned, and operated by a team that understands the physics of the route and the needs of the customer.” – Jeff Yount, Chief Executive Officer, Intermountain Infrastructure Group
Route Expansion Under Active Consideration
In response to demand exceeding initial projections, IIG is actively evaluating augmentations to the Northern Tier route, including the addition of new ILA sites to support customer demand, as well as an expanded conduit payload to increase the route’s long-term fiber capacity. A decision on scope augmentation is expected in the coming months, with any additions designed to be integrated without affecting the overall completion timeline on the primary route.
IIG is backed by institutional investors Wafra, its majority shareholder, and Future Standard, who each expressed strong confidence in the Northern Tier’s trajectory and the broader strategic direction of IIG’s infrastructure platform.
“IIG’s Northern Tier route is providing diverse, purpose-built infrastructure in a corridor where customer demand for high-capacity bandwidth and dark fiber is outpacing supply. The pre-completion commitments from customers and requests for further route augmentation reflect the quality of the IIG team’s execution and the route’s strategic importance. We are proud to support IIG’s continued growth and look forward to what comes next.” – Michael Coleman, Managing Director, Wafra, and Board Chair, Intermountain Infrastructure Group
The Infrastructure Behind the Corridor
Recent market announcements have highlighted growing commercial interest in the northern U.S. long-haul corridor. IIG welcomes that attention, as it reflects what the company has understood for years: the northern route is strategically essential for AI-scale data movement, east-west traffic growth, and the buildout of distributed compute infrastructure beyond traditional network hubs.
As the owner and operator of the physical infrastructure underlying this corridor, IIG is positioned to serve carriers, hyperscalers, cloud platforms, and enterprises seeking direct access to the route at the infrastructure layer – with the long-term certainty, transparency, and flexibility that only an infrastructure owner can provide.
About the Northern Tier Route
The Northern Tier is a newly built multi-conduit fiber system connecting key sites in the Pacific Northwest to Minneapolis. The route is being constructed to support high-density fiber cable deployment, modern optical amplification, and long-haul wavelength infrastructure. It is designed to serve data center interconnect, carrier backbone, and enterprise connectivity use cases, with capacity scalable to meet the demands of next-generation 400G, 800G, and beyond.
About Intermountain Infrastructure Group
Intermountain Infrastructure Group (IIG) is an independent fiber infrastructure owner and operator focused on building and operating long-haul and regional fiber networks across the Western United States and Canada. IIG partners with carriers, cloud providers, and enterprises to deliver reliable, scalable infrastructure at the physical layer – providing the foundation on which services are built. For more information, visit www.intermountainig.com.
About Wafra
Wafra is a global alternative investment manager with approximately $30 billion of assets under management across a range of alternative assets, including strategic partnerships, real assets and infrastructure, and real estate. By providing flexible and accretive capital solutions and focusing on long-term partnerships, Wafra aligns and partners with high quality asset owners, companies, and management teams. Headquartered in New York, Wafra has additional offices in London and Bermuda. For more information, please visit www.wafra.com.
About Future Standard
Future Standard is a global alternative asset manager serving institutional and private wealth clients, investing across private equity, credit, real estate and infrastructure. With a 30+ year track record of value creation and $94 billion in assets under management, we back the business owners and financial sponsors that drive growth and innovation across the middle market, transforming untapped potential into durable value.
Media Contact:
Brandon Coates
IIG Media Relations
Media@intermountainig.com
(406) 465-3350
SOURCE: Intermountain Infrastructure Group
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