By Josh Beckerman

Uniti Group Inc. (UNIT), a real estate investment trust focused on communications assets, will buy the fiber network of Midwestern telecom company Bluebird Network LLC.

In part of the so-called "OpCo-PropCo" partnership, Macquarie Infrastructure Partners will buy Bluebird. Uniti will purchase Bluebird's fiber network and lease it back to Bluebird.

Additionally, Uniti will sell Uniti Fiber's Midwestern operations to MIP, retaining its existing Midwestern fiber network.

The sale price for Bluebird's operations wasn't disclosed, but Uniti is buying the fiber network for $319 million, including $175 million that Uniti is funding in cash and $144 million of prepaid rent from MIP.

Uniti will also receive $37 million in upfront cash for the sale of its Midwestern operations.

Separately, Uniti is in discussions for the potential sale of its Latin America business, which includes about 500 towers in Mexico, Colombia and Nicaragua.

Write to Josh Beckerman at josh.beckerman@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 15, 2019 18:10 ET (23:10 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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