Brightspeed continues its methodical run of announcements with the news that it will pass more than 120,000 Indiana addresses with fiber broadband.
As usual, the project will be executed in two phases. More than 50,000 passings in 20 counties will be completed by the end of next year. An additional 70,000 passings will be deployed in subsequent years, the company said in a press release.
The first phase targets addresses in Adams, Carroll, Dearborn, Elkhart, Henry, Jasper, Johnson, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Madison, Marshall, Newton, Ohio, Pulaski, Randolph, St. Joseph, Starke, Switzerland, White, and Whitley counties.
To date, the company has made announcements for deployments in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, South Carolina, Arkansas, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Alabama, Ohio, Louisiana, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Tennessee in addition to Indiana. Four more announcements are expected. Brightspeed says that the builds will feature XGS-PON technology and subscribers will be offered Wi-Fi 6.
According to Telecompetitor calculations, Brightspeed has announced a total of 3.043 million passings, with 1.137 million of those in the first phase and 1.906 million slated for subsequent years.
The company’s ambitious plans are dependent upon the closing of the deal under which Apollo-managed funds acquire ILEC assets from Lumen Technologies in 20 states. Each state has approved the deal and the FCC signed off on the deal earlier this month. The last step is the official closing of the transaction, which is expected early in the fourth quarter.
Brightspeed says that it plans to spend $2 billion to reach as many as 3 million homes and businesses during the next five years. In many cases, the company says that it hopes to work with local entities to push beyond the announced builds. In Indiana, the identified local stakeholder is the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA).
Last week, Brightspeed announced projects in Illinois and Michigan. In Illinois, it will bring service to more than 14,000 addresses by the end of next year and 31,000 in subsequent years. In Michigan, it would bring service to 10,000 addresses by the end of next year and 14,000 addresses in subsequent years.
