Adtran and Adva, two broadband equipment suppliers hailing from opposite sides of the North Atlantic Ocean, are merging to create a fiber-focused network powerhouse. For us, the deal all-but answers a question we penned in a headline last year – ‘Will G.fast be a casualty of Covid-19?’ In a deal directly influenced by pandemic internet usage trends, it will bring German firm Adva within touching distance of unicorn status at an equity valuation of $934 million, in a union with US-based Adtran that creates annual cost synergies of $52 million. It promises an “unprecedented investment cycle in fiber connectivity” across the US and European markets, where the two companies can more effectively – as one giant unit – better apply…