Brightspeed to speed up local wi-fi

VW independent staff  

CHARLOTTE, NC — Brightspeed has announced plans to build a substantial portion of its planned fiber optics network in Ohio, where it expects to deliver, by end of 2023, over 170,000 new fiber passings in portions of a dozen counties in the first phase of construction in the state.  

Brightspeed’s 2022-2023 build plan for Ohio will bring faster, more reliable Internet and wi-fi initially to over 170,000 residential and commercial locations in markets within Van Wert, Allen, Crawford, Darke, Defiance, Henry, Logan, Lorain, Richland, Trumbull, Union and Wayne counties. 

Brightspeed is also planning an additional 210,000 fiber passings in the state in subsequent years of its build plan, for a total of over 380,000 fiber-enabled locations across its Ohio operating territory.  

Brightspeed will invest at least $2 billion in its fiber optics transformation, which is expected to reach up to 3 million homes and businesses over the next five years, including in many rural and suburban locations where fiber and advanced technology have not historically been deployed. The company will initially be comprised of the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) assets and associated operations of Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN), which are the subject of a pending acquisition by Apollo-managed funds (NYSE: APO). The parties expect to obtain regulatory approvals in the third quarter of this year, and to close the transaction in early fourth quarter.  

Brightspeed has been ramping its network design and construction preparations across its multi-state territory as it continues progress toward day one operations.  

“We are thrilled to share details about our network transformation plans for our Ohio footprint,” said Chris Creager, Chief Administration Officer of Brightspeed. “Access to ultra-fast, ultra-reliable broadband is simply a necessity across all aspects of daily life for today’s households and businesses. There’s no better, more proven technology than fiber-to-the-prem (FTTP) to meet this need, now and for the foreseeable future. We believe Ohioans will welcome a new competitive choice for internet and Wi-Fi, and we can’t wait to introduce our high-quality products and our simple, straightforward approach to doing business.”  

“In addition to our own significant build in Ohio, we are looking forward to the opportunity to work with key stakeholders like BroadbandOhio at state and local levels to expand the reach of our advanced fiber network to even more communities,” he added. 

Brightspeed plans to announce its other state-specific network build plans over the coming weeks.