Regional operator Lumos Networks will bring fiber broadband to almost 85,000 homes and businesses in the Tidewater region of Virginia, the company announced today.
Lumos intends to serve Tidewater communities located in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Portsmouth. The expansion includes building 760 miles of fiber. The Tidewater region is located in the Hampton Roads MSA, the second largest market in Virginia, behind only Washington DC-anchored Northern Virginia.
Engineering work is starting immediately, with construction beginning next year. The company expects the project to take two years to complete.
“Our announcement for the Tidewater region highlights Lumos’ rapid regional expansion and growth ambition,” Lumos’ CEO Diego Anderson said in a press release. “The Tidewater region is a key part of Lumos’ commitment to empowering communities with 100% fiber-to-the-home access and our expansion in this region underscores our commitment to bringing a competitive choice and the best technology available to communities we serve in Virginia.”
Headquarted in the western portion of the state, Virginia is a key market for Lumos. Last December, it announced an addition of 12,000 addresses to its Virginia footprint.
That project, which is slated to be completed by the end of this year, expands its fiber footprint in Stuarts Draft, Crozet and Waynesboro. Construction was to begin immediately.
Lumos provides telecommunications services including broadband, Wi-Fi, voice and streaming to almost 200,000 customers in Virginia and North Carolina. The company is known as NorthState in North Carolina.
Lumos/NorthState became an independent company last October. At that time, EQT Infrastructure completed the sale of Segra, the company’s former parent, to Cox Communications. EQT continues to support Lumos. The company pointed to a growth strategy when the deal closed.
