Consolidated Communications has implemented plans to deploy a symmetrical 2-gig service, offering it in all of its fiber markets.
The new level runs $165 per month, more than double the $70 per month cost of its 1-gig service. There are no data caps or contracts, and the price includes a Wi-Fi 6 gateway and up to two extenders to provide whole-house coverage. Wi-Fi speed testing, content setup and access control are available through Consolidated's Attune Wi-Fi app.
Although Consolidated's services are available in all fiber markets, only about 70 percent of available fiber addresses currently qualify. This number will expand over time.
By the end of the first quarter of 2022, Consolidated passed nearly 690,000 fiber sites, or about 25 percent of its service area. During the carrier's earnings call, CEO Bob Udell said he plans to increase that to 37 percent by the end of 2022. He added that about 60 percent of its nearly 94,000 fiber customers are using its 1-gig service by the end of 2022. One quarter.
Udell said he hasn't seen a competitive driver to deliver multi-gig service levels, but the demand landscape appears to have changed rapidly. On an earnings call in May, he hinted at an upcoming 2-gig offer.
Super-consumers, gamers, remote workers with high bandwidth needs and some who crave the fastest speeds have a particular need for 2-gig service," the carrier representative said. Our Fidium fiber service is designed to provide our customers with the best service we can offer and to continually raise the bar on providing the best broadband experience."
Consolidated's goal is to add 400,000 new fiber sites this year, with 265,000 lanes in Main, New Hampshire and Vermont and the remainder in Texas, California, Illinois, Minnesota and Pennsylvania.
The carrier's multi-gigabit offerings are at the higher end of the price spectrum compared to other fiber vendors' 2-gigabit offerings. Google Fiber's 2-gig service is the least expensive at $100 per month, but it clearly does not offer symmetrical speeds, instead offering 1 Gbps upload rates. both AT&T and Cox Communications offer AT&T and Cox Communications both offer symmetrical 2 Gig fiber service for $110 per month, while Verizon, Altice USA and Ziply offer the same service for $120 per month. Meanwhile, Frontier Communications' 2-gig service costs $149.99 per month.
