Empire Access, a company backed by private equity firm Antin Infrastructure Partners, said it will be rolling out fiber broadband network services in Vestal, NY. Services at speeds up to 1 Gbps will be available in the spring, a company spokesperson told Telecompetitor.
The company will be deploying XGS-PON and service will sell for $50 a month, said Jessica Tanney, Empire Access Manager of Marketing, in an email to us.
Empire Access can trace its roots back to 1896 when it started out as a small telephone service provider with a single line in Plattsburgh, NY. The company now serves upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania.
In January, Antin Infrastructure Partners said that it had agreed to invest in Empire Access and North Penn Telephone. Empire’s network consists of 1,280 fiber route miles and serves more than 96,000 addresses and 29,000 customers. The Wagner family controlled the company since 1946 and has retained a stake.
The operator serves the Binghamton, NY area. Services include streaming, residential phone, whole room DVR, security, home automation and video monitoring. Business services include phones, enterprise Wi-Fi, firewalls, business emails, audio and video conferencing, dark fiber, and metro-Ethernet.
In July 2021, Nokia said that it working with Empire on plans to deliver 10 Gbps speeds to new subscribers via an upgrade from GPON to XGS-PON technology.
“We specialize in connecting residents and business owners in the neighborhoods we serve, and we look forward to expanding our contribution to the community in Vestal. With internet speeds up to 1 Gigabit, customers are certain to notice improved load times and device performance like never before,” Empire Access CEO Jim Baase said in a press release.
Joan Engebretson contributed to this report
