Windstream brings 100 Mbps to 8 Georgia counties via DOCSIS 3.0 upgrade, expands FTTH in select areas

Windstream is giving some love to its HFC network in North Georgia by upgrading the plant to DOCSIS 3.0, enabling the telco to offer 100 Mbps speeds to residential and small business customers.

Upgrading new RF amplifiers and moving to DOCSIS 3.0 technology, which the telco said is already underway, will allow over 67,000 households in communities across eight North Georgia counties access 100 Mbps.

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With this latest upgrade, the eight areas that will get the new speeds will be two towns -- Hiawassee and Young Harris – as well as seven counties including Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Habersham Banks, and Jackson.

Making network upgrades in Georgia come at a time when the telco has faced criticism over its broadband performance in the state. Windstream CEO Tony Thomas told a U.S. congressman in May that it has continued to make necessary upgrades to support next-gen broadband services for businesses and consumers in the state.

In a letter sent to Rep. Doug Collins (R - Ga.) in May, Thomas said that since 2014 the telco had invested over $80 million to upgrade its broadband infrastructure throughout Georgia. A big part of that investment included deepening the reach of its fiber network to include neighborhood nodes serving 97 percent of Windstream's customers in the ninth congressional district.

But it appears that upgrading HFC is just one part of Windstream’s plan to bring higher speed broadband to North Georgia. The service provider said that in addition to the 100 Mbps speed upgrades that will be completed by mid-2017, Windstream is also expanding FTTH in select areas. However, it did not indicate where it will initially build out FTTH services in Georgia.

Windstream has been selectively rolling out 1 Gbps services in specific parts of its network footprint.

In April, Windstream launched its gigabit FTTH service in four market areas serving about 35,000 residential and small business customers, including Lincoln, Nebraska, Lexington, Kentucky, Sugar Land, Texas, and seven North Carolina communities -- China Grove, Concord, Davidson, Harrisburg, Kannapolis, Lewisville and Matthews.