Windstream Kinetic plans to bring fiber to 18,000 locations in Matthews, North Carolina, in a multi-year expansion project, the company announced yesterday. Matthews is a suburb of Charlotte.
The Matthews expansion marks a significant increase over the current 6,500 locations that are fiber eligible, Windstream announced. Work on the project is expected to start later this year, the company is already starting engineering plans for the planned expansion.
“Our residents want more access to high-speed fiber Internet, so we are excited to welcome Kinetic’s expansion in Matthews,” said city Mayor John Higdon, in a prepared statement. “Reliable internet access is essential, and I’m glad more of Matthews’ businesses and residents will soon be able to rely on Kinetic’s high-speed connections.”
This Windstream expansion is on the heels of the announcement of a fiber expansion project in nearby Concord, North Carolina, which may have been accelerated in part by Google Fiber announcing plans there as well.
Windstream is embarking on a $2 billion multi-year construction initiative to expand gigabit internet service deploying fiber across its 18-state footprint.The company is planning to add nearly 1,000 jobs in its new internal engineering and fiber construction organization to aid in the aggressive expansion plan.
“Kinetic is a proud partner to the city and residents of Matthews and we are dedicated to delivering fast broadband speed, at competitive rates with unmatched service,” said Jeff Small, Kinetic president, in a prepared statement.
“As this fiber is delivered, Matthews more than ever will be able to count on Kinetic for fast and reliable connections.”
