Brightspeed, a new fiber operator that is buying Lumen's ILEC assets in 20 states, announced that Louisiana will be the sixth state to benefit from its ambitious multi-year deployment plan. While no other plans for individual states have been disclosed, the COO said it aims to work in "virtually every state footprint" this year and next.
The company recently received the final state regulatory approval needed to trade with Lumen and said it expects to close the deal in the fourth quarter. As part of the deal, it will acquire about 7 million addressable locations.
After the deal closes, Brightspeed will be "up and running on day one" with its fiber rollout. From the end of the deal in 2022 through the end of 2023, Brightspeed plans to "touch more than 200 wireline centers" in nearly all of its 20-state footprint, although he noted that certain variables could affect its work-time status in each state.
"One of the benefits of our footprint is that we cover states with mild winters, which will help us build smoothly," the COO explained. "In our northern territories, we are working with our partners despite such inclement weather. Most importantly, we know people are waiting for high-speed fiber, and we intend to make every effort to get there as soon as possible."
In Louisiana, the carrier plans to deploy fiber in up to 14,000 locations in Acadia, Calcasieu, Evangeline, Franklin, Jefferson Davis and Webster parishes by the end of 2023. All told, it says it expects to deploy fiber in more than 28,000 locations over the next few years.
The initial sites in Louisiana will contribute to Brightspeed's goal of reaching 1 million new fiber sites by the end of 2023 and 3 million over the next five years.
It has already announced plans for deployments in Ohio, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia and Texas. Together with Louisiana, these states will account for more than 70 percent of Brightspeed's 1 million location goal.
Its largest buildout announcement to date will be in North Carolina, where it plans to roll out fiber to 300,000 locations next year. It also plans to build 170,000 locations in Ohio and 120,000 locations in Texas by the end of 2023. So far, all of the states where it has announced build-out plans are within the scope of its acquisition from Lumen.
