Astound Broadband and Astound Business Solutions have launched Astound 5 Gig, a symmetrical 5 Gbps service for residential and small business customers, in many of Astound’s fiber markets.
Astound encompasses several companies that have been consolidated by investment firm Stonepeak, including RCN, Grande, Wave, enTouch and Digital West. Initial markets for the 5 Gig service include portions of Maryland, Illinois, Texas, New York City, Pennsylvania, Washington, Oregon and California.
The service uses eero’s fastest mesh Wi-Fi 7 system, eero Max 7, which allow it to accommodate more than 200 devices simultaneously. Using two 10 GbE ports, eero Max 7 can supply wired speeds up to 9.4 Gbps and wireless speeds up to 4.3 Gbps. eero’s patented TrueMesh technology and advanced online security are included.
In introducing the 5 Gig service, Astound is following several other providers into this part of the market, including:
- AT&T, which brought both 2 Gbps and 5 Gbps symmetrical services to 5.2 million residences and small businesses in more than 70 metropolitan markets a couple of years ago. At the time AT&T said its plans were to expand multigigabit service to 30 million locations by the end of 2025.
- Google Fiber, which initially launched symmetrical 5 Gigabit in three locations on Valentine’s Day of 2023 and has since added other 5 Gbps markets.
- Wyyerd Fiber, which launched in two locations earlier this year, with plans to offer the service across its entire network.
- Shentel, which launched its 5 Gbps Glo Fiber service across its entire network in April.
“Simply put, Astound 5 Gig is our best internet ever, whether for residential or small business use,” Jim Holanda, Astound CEO, said in a prepared statement. “Our customers are responding with a resounding ‘yes’ to Astound’s high-quality service, reliability and customer service, which were highlighted in the PC Magazine 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards.”
