Brightspeed says that it will pass 380,000 addresses with its XGS-PON fiber broadband in Ohio during the next few years. The company says that more than 170,000 of those passings will be completed by the end of next year.
The phase of the build for this year and next will focus on Allen, Crawford, Darke, Defiance, Henry, Logan, Lorain, Richland, Trumbull, Union, Van Wert and Wayne counties.
Chris Creager, Brightspeed’s Chief Administration Officer, said that the company will work with “stakeholders” – he mentioned BroadbandOhio by name – at the state and local levels to expand connectivity further.
“Access to ultra-fast, ultra-reliable broadband is simply a necessity across all aspects of daily life for today’s households and businesses,” Creager said in the press release about Brightspeed Ohio plans. “There’s no better, more proven technology than fiber-to-the-prem (FTTP) to meet this need, now and for the foreseeable future. We believe Ohioans will welcome a new competitive choice for internet and Wi-Fi, and we can’t wait to introduce our high-quality products and our simple, straightforward approach to doing business.”
The company says that it will invest at least $2 billion during the next five years to reach as many as 3 million homes and businesses across its expected 20-state footprint.
Before any of those deployments occur, however, the $7.5 billion deal bringing ILEC assets from Lumen Technologies to Apollo-managed funds must close. The parties say that regulatory approvals are expected during the third quarter of the year and the deal should be finalized early in the fourth quarter. Until that time, Brightspeed is doing preparatory work.
Indeed, the company has had a busier June than a bridal shop. In addition to Ohio, it announced deployments in three states:
- In Texas, it will bring access to 280,000 addresses (120,000 by the end of next year).
- In North Carolina, it will bring access to 800,000 (500,000 by the end of next year).
- In Virginia, it will bring access to 130,000 addresses (60,000 by the end of next year).
In all, Brightspeed says it will pass more than 1 million addresses by the end of 2023.
