Astound Broadband has taken an acquisitive approach to become the sixth largest cable operator picking up a good deal of fiber along the way, according to Lightwave + BTR. Today, through the purchase of RCN, Grande Communications, Wave Broadband, and enTouch, the company operates in 12 states and in nine of the top 30 metro areas nationwide, with 4.2 million homes passed and 1.1 million customers, according to CNET.
“Astound Broadband took a less-traveled approach to its fiber broadband journey, leveraging diverse experiences from assets it had accumulated over the past two decades,” Lightwave + BTR reports.
With that sizable fiber footprint has come faster speeds. Five years ago, Astound began transitioning from Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial, which combines fiber and coaxial cable, to fiber to the home builds, starting with gigabit passive optical network, according to Lightwave + BTR.
Last year, Astound upgraded its 1,200 Mbps plan to 1,500 Mbps, making it one of the fastest cable broadband providers available nationally, according to CNET. Last month, Astound Broadband and its sister company Astound Business Solutions launched a symmetrical 5 Gigabit internet service, available for residential and small business in many of their fiber markets.
On the other hand, Astound also offers low-speed plans. With the end of the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program, it implemented its own effort to meet the communications needs of the low-income households, with its Internet First plan, which features two speed tiers: 50 Mbps for $10 a month and 150 Mbps for $20.
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
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