In a continuation of its stream of announcements, Brightspeed says that it will pass 28,000 addresses in Louisiana with its fiber infrastructure during the next several years, with half of them completed by the end of next year.
The initial build will be in residential and commercial locations in parts of Acadia, Calcasieu, Evangeline, Franklin, Jefferson Davis and Webster parishes.
“We are pleased to share our initial fiber build locations for Louisiana,” Sherry Hessenthaler, Brightspeed’s Operations Strategy Lead, said in a press release. “Brightspeed’s mission is to expand and accelerate the availability of high-quality broadband that will enable our communities to grow and thrive. We are looking forward to offering a new choice in internet and to extending the full capabilities of our advanced fiber technology to residents and businesses in our Louisiana footprint.”
Beginning work on this and other announcements is dependent on the closing of a deal under which Apollo-managed funds will acquire ILEC assets and associated operations of Lumen Technologies. FCC approvals are expected this quarter and the transaction is expected to close early in the fourth quarter. Regulatory approvals already have been secured in each of the 20 states covered in the deal.
Brightspeed intends to spend $2 billion to reach 3 million homes and businesses during the next five years. The company says that its XGS-PON technology will offer symmetrical speeds of more than 1 Gbps and that it will feature Wi-Fi 6.
In May, Brightspeed said it would pass 130,000 addresses in the Commonwealth of Virginia during the next few years, with 60,000 of those completed by the end of next year.
Two days earlier, Brightspeed said it would pass 800,000 homes and businesses in its home state of North Carolina during the next few years. It aims to complete the first 300,000 of those passings by the end of next year.
In all, Brightspeed plans to pass 1 million addresses by the end of 2023.
