Regional operator Lumos will deploy a fiber broadband network to serve about 35,000 addresses in Durham and Orange counties, North Carolina. The company is making an investment of about $50 million in the project, which will feature more than 600 miles of fiber.
Lumos says that engineering work will begin immediately and construction will start early next year. The company offers symmetrical 2 Gbps data speeds, Wi-Fi, voice and streaming services in its territory and serves almost 200,000 addresses across North Carolina and Virginia.
Most of the project will be in Durham County. Renee Price, the Chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, says that the county already is working with Lumos to bring service to 24,000 addresses in the county. The new project will add 1,500 homes and businesses in the eastern part of Orange County.
“The world is more connected than ever. Lumos aims to unlock the potential of the digital world – from work-from-home environments, to telemedicine, to a gig economy – by providing 100% fiber optic Internet, we are helping to ensure our local communities and small businesses don’t get left behind because their digital infrastructure can’t keep up,” Lumos CEO Brian Stading said in a press release. “This expansion highlights Lumos’ commitment to bringing competitive choice and the best technology available to the community, creating a connection to the future.”
Lumos, which recently rebranded from two operating brands of Lumos Networks (Virginia) and NorthSate (North Carolina), has been quite active in fiber expansion across its multi-state territory.
The company, then known as NorthState outlined a North Carolina fiber expansion plan last month that will see it expand fiber in Forsyth and Randolph counties, reaching a total of 38K locations.
In July, Lumos said that it would build a network to serve almost 85,000 addresses in the Tidewater region of Virginia. The project will feature 760 miles of fiber and serve Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Portsmouth. The Tidewater region is in the Hampton Roads MSA, which is the second largest in Virginia.
