Houlihan Lokey Advises Socket Fiber

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Socket Fiber (Socket), backed by Oak Hill Capital (Oak Hill) and Pamlico Capital (Pamlico), has acquired Fastwyre’s Missouri Network Business. The transaction closed on April 30, 2026.

Socket is a leading fiber broadband services platform headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, with 30+ years of successful operating history. The company operates a future-ready network that delivers high-speed internet connectivity to 25,000+ residential and commercial customers in 16 markets throughout the state, with a focus on network reliability, community engagement, and expanding access to critical digital infrastructure.

Fastwyre is a nationwide broadband platform with a network across Alaska, Missouri, Nebraska, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas. As part of the transaction, Socket will acquire Fastwyre’s Missouri markets and significantly expand Socket’s rapidly growing footprint in Missouri, reinforcing the company’s long-standing commitment to delivering reliable, high-performance fiber internet service to homes and businesses statewide.

The transaction follows Oak Hill and Pamlico’s acquisition of Socket and IdeaTek in early 2025 and advances the combined companies’ ambitious goal of reaching 500,000 homes across the Midwest with fiber networks by 2028. This robust build plan is designed to extend the benefits of high-speed connectivity to underserved and growing communities, supporting regional economic development and local job creation.

Oak Hill is a leading middle-market investor in communications infrastructure and has made more than 20 investments in the sector over the past 30 years. Oak Hill is one of the most experienced fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) investors with nine active investments in FTTH platforms across the U.S., totaling over 4 million FTTH passings across its portfolio. Oak Hill was an early investor in Metronet, the largest independently owned FTTH operator in the U.S., with 2 million FTTH passings, which recently sold in 2024 to T-Mobile and KKR.

Pamlico, a Charlotte-based middle-market private equity firm, is a leading investor in digital infrastructure, having completed more than 15 investments over the past 30 years. Pamlico is also active in the FTTH space, having partnered with Oak Hill in its investment in Vexus Fiber, a Texas-based FTTH provider that merged into Metronet in early 2022.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive buyside advisor to Socket Fiber, Oak Hill, and Pamlico in connection with their acquisition of Fastwyre’s Missouri Network Business.

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