Suddenlink to invest $250M in 1-Gig service

Cable MSO Suddenlink is investing $250 million to upgrade its network and make 1-Gig service available to its customers in its 16-state footprint that includes Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.

Company CEO Jerry Kent said that he plans half of the 1-Gig launches to occur in 2015 and the remainder in 2016. The company's goal is to be able to offer 1-Gig service to nearly all its customers. "While companies like Google and AT&T are offering or planning to offer 1 Gigabit service in a relatively few, selected neighborhoods in urban and large suburban cities, we will take it to small and mid-sized markets and rural areas--and in those communities, it will be available to 100 percent of our customers," Kent said in a prepared statement.

The initiative, known internally at "Operation GigaSpeed," will be funded by an investment of nearly $250 million, which was approved by the Suddenlink board of directors last week. The funds will also be used to convert Suddenlink's network to all-digital video as well as for in-home equipment.  

In June Suddenlink said it was using its DOCSIS 3.0 platform to launch a new 300 Mbps service tier in two areas of Texas where there's growing competition to provide customers with higher speed broadband service tiers. Specifically, that service is available in Leander and Pflugerville and is expected to come to Georgetown soon.

 For more:
- see this press release

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