Brightspeed has stepped up its fiber expansion efforts, naming Ohio as its next target. The plan is to pass more than 170,000 locations in 12 Ohio counties by the end of 2023.
Brightspeed isn't stopping there, saying it intends to add another 210,000 Ohio locations in the next few years - with a total goal of 380,000 passes in the state. The Ohio buildout represents an ambitious goal after previously announcing plans to pass an initial 300,000 locations in North Carolina by the end of next year. brightspeed will then add 500,000 locations in North Carolina as part of its five-year goal.
The reason for the different build sizes is simple, says Brightspeed COO Tom Maguire. brightspeed's footprint in North Carolina is more than twice that of Ohio. In terms of total households, North Carolina is the largest state for operators.
Ohio's target markets include Allen, Crawford, Lorain, Trumbull and Wayne counties. Of the dozen initial markets, Lorain and Trumbull counties have the largest populations at 312,964 and 201,977, respectively.
In a statement, Brightspeed's chief administrative officer said, "We believe Ohioans will welcome the new competitive options for Internet and Wi-Fi, and we can't wait to launch our high-quality product and our simple, straightforward approach to doing business."
Regarding competitors in the state, the executive said they include everything from multiple system operators, both large and small, to cooperatives. Brightspeed, however, is still watching the market closely, pending the acquisition of ILEC assets from Lumen Technologies.
The carrier previously announced plans for fiber expansion in Alabama and construction in Virginia and Texas. All in all, Brightspeed aims to reach 1 million homes after its first year of operation.
Lumen last year struck a $7.5 billion deal with Brightspeed's parent company, Apollo Global Management, to sell its ILEC assets in 20 states. As part of the deal, Brightspeed is expected to inherit nearly 7 million passes from Lumen.
The ILEC transaction is expected to close early in the fourth quarter of 2022, Maguire added, adding that Brightspeed just received final state approval in New Jersey - meaning the operator is now approved in all 20 states.
