The company plans an additional 70,000 fibre passings in the following years of its network transformation program, bringing its total to 130,000 fibre-enabled locations across Virginia.
Specifically, the project will see the delivery of more reliable internet and WiFi to over 60,000 residential and commercial locations in portions of the city of Charlottesville, as well as parts of Albemarle, Campbell, Henry, Page, Rockbridge, and Smyth counties.
“We are looking forward to the start of our ambitious network build in Virginia,” said Tom Maguire, chief operating officer of Brightspeed.
“Households and businesses have a critical need for reliable, high-quality internet to help them accomplish what is most important, whether it is working from home, remote learning, access to healthcare, streaming entertainment, or simply staying connected with others. We are excited to offer a new choice in internet and the full capabilities of our advanced fiber network to the residents and businesses in our Virginia footprint.”
As part of the transformation, Brightspeed will deploy the latest technologies including XGSPON, architecture capable of symmetrical internet speeds exceeding 1Gbps, and the fibre necessary to deliver the ultra-fast connections to homes and businesses.
“Expanding access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet has been a Day One promise for Governor Youngkin,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick.
“Improved broadband infrastructure will play a crucial role in jumpstarting our economy, ensuring opportunity across the Commonwealth, and giving all Virginians the resources they need to thrive.”
The news follows Brightspeed's previously announced plans to invest a minimum of $2 billion in its fibre-optic network transformation, which is expected to reach up to 3 million locations over the next five years.
The company will initially be comprised of the local exchange carrier (ILEC) assets and associated operations of Lumen Technologies, which are the subject of a pending acquisition by Apollo-managed funds.
Once the deal is completed in Q4 of this year, subject to regulatory approvals in Q3, Brightspeed will begin to sign customers onto its network.
