Ting is taking its 1 Gbps FTTH show to the Sandpoint, Idaho area with plans to offer the service to residents in the communities of Sandpoint, Dover, Ponderay and Kootenai.
Similar to the way it launched services in Holly Springs, N.C. and in Virginia, interested residents and businesses that reside in these towns can pre-order service by going to the ting.com/sandpoint site.
The service provider said that pre-orders will impact not just when Ting starts bringing service to a town, but also where it will begin its network buildout.
If Ting sees enough interest in service after completing its "demand assessment" phase, Ting says that network construction will begin later this year.
Google Fiber (NASDAQ: GOOG) and other large telcos like AT&T (NYSE: T) have gained national attention for their 1 Gbps FTTH builds in major cities like Atlanta and Austin, Texas. But Ting said its goal is to bring similar capabilities to areas like Sandpoint where the population is less than 10,000 people.
"While it's obviously very important to get major metros connected with fast fiber Internet, Ting Internet is proving that the fastest Internet access available isn't just for city centers," said Elliot Noss, CEO of Ting and its parent company Tucows. "Smaller cities and towns need faster, more reliable Internet too. Maybe even more so."
Sandpoint will be the fourth area where Ting offers its FTTH service.
In early 2015, Ting launched FTTH service Charlottesville, Va. followed by Westminster, Md., later that year. In early 2016, Ting Internet began demand generation and assessment in Holly Springs, N.C.
Although network installation costs vary by location, Ting said they are not more than $200 for a home or $400 for an individual business. The Ting Internet Box, which doubles as a high speed wireless router, costs $199 up front or a user can pay $9 a month for the device.
Eligible residential customers can get a 1 Gbps connection for $89, while business services are available for $139 a month. The service provider is also offer a symmetrical 5 Mbps service for $19 a month.
For more:
- see the release
Related articles:
Ting targets Holly Springs, N.C. as its next FTTH market
Ting mulls more 1 Gbps launches, eyes areas bypassed by Google Fiber
Ting going its own way with fiber deployment
Ting prices 1 Gig service at $89 a month