Gov. Jeff Landry announced Thursday that Swyft Fiber plans to invest more than $1 billion in Louisiana broadband infrastructure, with the company locating 90% of its planned expansion in the state and establishing its national headquarters in Metairie. The headquarters alone is expected to keep an estimated 200 to 300 jobs in Jefferson Parish.
Landry said the investment reflects a broader strategy to keep businesses, jobs and workers in Louisiana while the state builds out its infrastructure, framing the deal as proof that Louisiana moved federal broadband dollars into deployment faster than any other state. As reported by WWL-TV, the governor said the investment will keep opportunities and jobs in Louisiana rather than send them elsewhere.
Swyft Fiber CEO Jason Hunt said the expansion focuses on areas with limited or no access to fiber internet, and that the company is prioritizing job creation and local subcontractors as it builds out. The company expects to expand fiber broadband access to as many as 500,000 homes across its service area over the next four years, targeting rural communities that have historically lacked reliable high-speed internet. Swyft Fiber plans to use Louisiana contractors to build the network, and had more than 40 open positions at the time of the announcement, with the average full-time employee earning about $80,000 annually.
Underground Build Aims at Hurricane Resilience
The fiber network is being built largely underground, intended to maintain connectivity during hurricanes and other natural disasters. Supporters of the buildout say improved broadband infrastructure could help small businesses reach more customers, allow students to take classes from home, and give families better access to online health care.
Veneeth Iyengar, executive director of the Louisiana Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity, said Louisiana households and small businesses have gained internet access over the past two years, with an additional 150,000 households and small businesses connected, reaching roughly 500,000 people. Separately, nola.com reported Iyengar saying that about 80% of the state was connected to broadband when Landry became governor in 2024, a figure that has since risen to about 90%.
How the Billion-Dollar Bet Fits Louisiana's Broader Buildout
Swyft Fiber's announcement lands against the backdrop of Louisiana's statewide GUMBO 2.0 program, which is using more than $1.36 billion in federal BEAD funding to connect locations that still lack reliable service, according to benton.org. The state was awarded that $1.36 billion specifically to connect 140,000 locations, per lightwaveonline.com, which also notes fiber broadband projects are expected to serve 95.4% of the state's unserved and underserved BEAD locations and that the construction and maintenance work is projected to create 5,000 jobs statewide.
A current construction phase covering nearly 15,000 broadband serviceable locations across 23 parishes is projected to finish by the end of the first quarter of 2027, with providers deploying close to 1,800 miles of fiber statewide, according to telecompetitor.com. That outlet reports Swyft Fiber holds the largest single assignment in this phase, covering 5,830 locations across five parishes — and frames the work as moving Louisiana toward a goal of statewide access by 2028, while nola.com has separately reported the state's hope of reaching full universal coverage by the end of 2027.
Swyft Fiber's Louisiana footprint traces back to an earlier partnership. In November 2024, the Louisiana Local Fiber Consortium — made up of Swyft Fiber, REV and T-Mobile — announced it would receive nearly $450 million in federal BEAD funding to expand high-speed internet access across the state, according to bizneworleans.com. That network was planned to be built primarily with underground fiber, and both Swyft Fiber and REV said they would begin hiring new employees with a focus on local workers. Louisiana's final BEAD proposal later allocated $378 million for 68,535 locations to that same consortium, according to lightreading.com, which also reported that ConnectLA executive director Veneeth Iyengar said 82% of the state's BEAD awards would go to Louisiana-based providers.
A Growing Footprint Beyond the BEAD Program
A Growing Footprint Beyond the BEAD Program Swyft Fiber has also been expanding outside the state-funded buildout. The company finalized its acquisition of Fastwyre's South Central fiber internet network in July 2026, adding service areas across Louisiana, Texas and Alabama, according to swyftfiber.com. Combined with its role in the BEAD consortium and now its planned national headquarters in Metairie, the company has steadily expanded its presence in Louisiana.
