Windstream announced broadband growth for 3Q 2020, which appears to be slowing a bit. Compared with last year, broadband growth looks great, but 3Q 2020 appears to be the company’s slowest growing quarter for the year.
According to Windstream, the company added 12,900 new broadband customers in the quarter, down 41% from 2Q 2020. Windstream is still on track to reach its goal of 60K net new broadband adds for 2020.
Windstream recorded net new broadband growth of 18K and 22K for the first and second quarters respectively in 2020. Adding 3Q 2020’s growth, the company has added 53K broadband customers so far in 2020.
Windstream also announced its Kinetic fiber broadband expanded to an additional 325K locations so far this year. Windstream Kinetic president Jeff Small reports that 12% of Windstream customers can get gigabit-capable speeds, suggesting that its FTTP network now reaches at least 12% of the company’s footprint.
Small also reports that 44% of Windstream customers can access speeds of 100 Mbps or greater.
Windstream is investing nearly $2 billion in its network for broadband upgrades, according to Small. That investment strategy is aided by a restructuring settlement with Uniti, Windstream’s REIT partner, for a $1.75 billion investment in Windstream’s network.
“Kinetic is making faster broadband speeds available to more customers across our rural footprint, and they are responding,” said Small in a press release. “And there’s more to come as we begin a nearly $2 billion initiative to dramatically expand our fiber footprint and gigabit internet service.”
