Following its rollout in a batch of markets, WideOpenWest said it will broaden its deployment of a 1 Gbps (download) service using DOCSIS 3.1 to the bulk of its footprint – about 95% of it -- by February 2018.
WOW! initially launched the service in four markets last fall – Auburn and Huntsville, Ala.; Evansville, Ind.; and Knoxville, Tenn. The operator has also introduced 1-Gig service in Grosse Point Shores, Mich.; and Marysville, Parma Heights, and North Ridgeville, Ohio.
RELATED: WideOpenWest Launches 1-Gig Broadband in Four Markets
The company noted that Marysville, Ohio, and Powell, Tenn., will get 1-Gig following an “edge out” that will deliver its full suite of services in the next month or so, with the rest of the rollout to follow in early 2018 in markets such as Augusta, Ga.; Charleston; Chicago/Naperville; Columbus, Ga.; Columbus, Ohio; Panama City and Pinellas, Fla.; southeast Michigan/Detroit; Valley, Ala; and West Point, Ga.
WOW has been rolling out 1-Gig service on HFC using DOCSIS 3.1 and Arris E6000 CCAP chassis, but is also starting to use a new virtualized Distributed Access platform from Nokia as the operator looks to mine more capacity from its HFC network in certain scenarios.
RELATED: WOW! Rolls With Nokia's Distributed Access Platform
Per WOW!’s current pricing, it’s selling the 1-Gig residential service (paired with an upstream of 50 Mbps) for $79.99 per month as a stand-alone with a two-year contract, or $89.99 per month without a contract. WOW!’s 1-Gig service, which comes at lower prices when bundled with other WOW services, is not saddled with data caps.
RELATED: WOW!: We’ll Stay Cap Free
"Our customers want the fastest Internet speeds available so they can stream, chat, game, browse and enjoy Internet-connected devices without interruption," WOW! CEO Steven Cochran said, in a statement. "WOW!'s previous network investments have enabled us to provide 1 Gig services through existing coax plants with minimal capital expenditure. We are taking advantage of the opportunity to future-proof our entire network to power the data-hungry devices and connected gadgets our customers love."
WOW! ended Q2 2017 with about 727,600 high-speed internet subscribers and a penetration rate of 23.7%.
