The expansion of the company's fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network in Maine comes as demand for residential Internet access continues to grow, particularly in support of use cases like telehealth, remote learning and remote work.
At present, FirstLight has approximately 3,600 fibre route miles in Maine, with plans for the addition of 121 route miles of fibre by the end of 2022.
“Remote work continues to transform many local economies, and having secure, reliable fibre is a huge advantage if not a necessity to the work-from-home trend,” said Patrick Coughlin, chief development officer at FirstLight.
“Maine will continue to have success in attracting new residents by offering both a unique quality of life as well as reliable connectivity. We’re excited to be playing an important role in transforming Maine’s digital landscape.”
FirstLight’s fibre network covers more than 4,880 homes in its Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC) regions across several Central and Western Maine towns, including: Albany Township, Andover, Bethel, Bryant Pond, Buckfield, Canton, Hartford, Hebron, Locke Mills, Mason Township, parts of Minot, Newry, North Norway, North Turner, Roxbury Pond, Sumner, Turner, Upton, West Bethel, West Paris and Woodstock.
FirstLight has developed a number of projects in Maine, the most recent being in the Town of Minot, with a FTTH network capable of serving 279 homes. The "make ready" stage of the project is complete and is currently in the construction phase, with installations underway.
In addition, the company is also working with the communities of Albany Township, Bethel, Gilead, Greenwood, Newry, and Woodstock on a further potential fibre builds.
In related news, October saw FirstLight extend its connectivity through an interconnection with DE-CIX New York at 325 Hudson Street.
This is an extension to customers in Pennsylvania of a deal that already covers the New England area.
