TDS Telecommunications has signed a franchise agreement to build a symmetrical 2 Gbps all- fiber network in Helena, Montana.
The network, the service provider’s second in the state, is expected to reach almost 20,000 homes and businesses. In addition to connectivity, subscribers will have access to TDS’s all-digital TDS TV+ and several phone options for residential and business clients.
“We are thrilled to announce we are expanding our fiber network into another great city in Montana,” Andrew Petersen, TDS Telecommunications’ Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs said in a press release about the TDS Montana fiber expansion. “Fiber networks are in high demand, and we are excited to bring our reliable technology to Helena and to provide residents the latest tools to upgrade their home for the future.”
In August 2021, TDS said it would build a network in Billings, MT. That network, which is under construction, will reach more than 50,000 homes, according to the company. Work began on the network in September 2021. The project features a 500-mile, 2 Gbps FTTH network.
The initial press release for the Billings FTTH project said that more than 40,000 homes and businesses would eventually be reached. The announcement on the Helena project references the Billings project and increases the potential to more than 50,000 homes and businesses.
Today’s news was the second announcement by TDS in as many weeks. On April 14, the service provider said that it will upgrade the speeds in its St. George, UT network. The upgrade will be free to the 18,000 subscribers the network serves.
Those that had speeds slower than 100 Mbps will now reach that level, while those at 100 Mbps will get 300 Mbps service. Unlike most of TDS’s networks, St. George is built as a cable-style HFC/DOCSIS network.
TDS said in August 2021 that all new systems would be symmetrical and run at 2 Gbps.
