Brightspeed will bring its all-fiber broadband network to 50,000 addresses in South Carolina.
The first phase will focus on 14,000 addresses in Beaufort County and will be completed by the end of next year. The balance of the passings – 36,000 – will be completed in subsequent years, according to the company.
Brightspeed is on the precipice of bringing its XGS-PON-based network to 20 states. These networks will provide symmetrical data speeds capable of more than 1 Gbps. The service will include Wi-Fi 6.
For the projects to get underway, however, the deal under which Apollo managed funds will purchase Lumen Technologies operations in 20 states must be finalized. The agreement – which transfers the ILEC infrastructure and associated assets to Apollo/Brightspeed – has gotten approvals in each of the 20 states. The FCC is expected to give its approval during this quarter and the deal is expected to be finalized in the fourth quarter.
Brightspeed says it will spend $2 billion to bring service to about 3 million addresses during the next five years.
“High-quality broadband has never been more important, whether for work, education, telemedicine, entertainment, or simply staying connected,” Brightspeed operations strategy lead Terry Hessenthaler said in a press release “We are ready to hit the ground running with our deployment in Beaufort County and are looking forward to introducing customers to our state-of-the-art Brightspeed products and services.”
According to Telecompetitor calculations, Brightspeed so far has committed to broadband builds in 12 states. It has announced plans to pass approximately 1.094 million addresses by the end of next year and 1.59 million addresses in subsequent years.
In addition to South Carolina, Brightspeed has announced projects in Arkansas, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Alabama, Ohio, Louisiana, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Tennessee.
Earlier this month, Brightspeed said it will bring service to 100,000 addresses in Arkansas. The first phase will include 40,000 passings in 10 counties, with the remaining 60,000 passings completed in subsequent years.
