TDS Telecom this month launched its first six neighborhoods in Spokane, WA. The 1 Gbps network also offers the company’s all-digital television service, TDS TV+ and phone options.
Additional areas will be launched during the next several months, the company says. The project, which began last year, will offer service to more than 88,000 homes and businesses via a 1,100 mile fiber network.
“We’re so excited to begin connecting residents to our symmetrical gigabit internet speeds, along with cutting-edge TV and voice service,” TDS Telecom Vice President of Marketing and Product Development Julie Maiers said. “Fiber optic technology sets the pace for delivering the best internet, TV, and phone services available.”
The project was announced in February 2020. At the time, TDS said that the services would be offered through TDS Metrocom, the company’s CLEC. The story – which shows that the 88,000 locations and 1,100 mile fiber network targets have not changed – points out that TDS will be overbuilding Comcast and CenturyLink. The Spokesman-Review reported that the TDS plan was to invest more than $100 million in the project.
Spokane is far from the only community in which TDS is interested. When it reported its 2020 results In February of this year, CFO Vicki Villacrez said in prepared remarks that the plan was to bring fiber to 620,000 locations by 2024. The company recently reported it surpassed 500K broadband customers for the first time in 1Q21.
Idaho is also an important element of TDS’ growth plan. In February, TDS said it would build a gigabit network to provide access to more than 26,000 homes and business in Boise, Idaho. In April of 2020, TDS had announced that it planned to build a network capable of serving almost 76,000 addresses in the Treasure Valley communities of Meridian, Garden City and in parts of Ada County.
In March, Wall Street firm Citi suggested that Dish may be interesting in acquiring TDS due to its ownership of US Cellular.
