Jan 29 (Reuters) - Fiber network owner Zayo Group is in

the lead to buy the Crown Castle's ( CCI ) assets in a deal that

could be valued at over $8 billion, a source familiar with the

matter told Reuters.

Zayo, owned by Sweden's EQT and DigitalBridge ( DBRG/PJ )

have outbid buyout firm TPG for Crown Castle's ( CCI )

assets, said the source, who declined to be identified as the

information is confidential.

The sale would include Crown Castle's ( CCI ) fiber and small cell

businesses, that provide wireless services and technology,

Reuters has previously reported.

Zayo and Crown Castle ( CCI ) did not immediately respond to Reuters

request for comment outside regular business hours.

If the deal goes through, the transaction will come at a

time when dealmaking in the fiber industry is heating up, as the

rapid growth of fiber broadband provides a major boost to

infrastructure providers, making them attractive acquisition

targets.

Houston, Texas-based Crown Castle ( CCI ), which has a market value

of $38.2 billion, is a telecommunications infrastructure

provider that operates more than 40,000 cellular towers across

the United States.

Crown Castle ( CCI ) rents out towers to wireless carriers such as

Verizon and AT&T ( T ), and has grown its fiber business

through several acquisitions. However, the high cost of building

fiber infrastructure has weighed on its financial performance,

forcing it to consider a retreat from the business and slash

spending.