WideOpenWest (WOW) said it’s investing $20 million on a broadband footprint expansion for residential and commercial services in Pinellas County and Tampa amid some major transactions by rivals in the region.
The investment comes amid Charter Communications’s recent acquisition of Bright House Networks and the completion and transition of certain Verizon wireline properties to Frontier Communications.
WOW currently serves most of Pinellas County (via its acquisition in 2012 of Knology) and parts of Tampa with a network that passes about 270,000 residences and 30,000 businesses, and believes the investment will help it gain share against competitors that are undergoing transitions. Frontier has been experiencing some hiccups in the weeks following the closing of the Verizon deal.
For a limited period, WOW is offering residential consumers in Pinellas County 110 Mbps broadband for $34.99 per month or a TV bundle with that tier for $64.99 per month, if customers agree to a 12-month contract.
Of recent note, WOW launched a 300 Mbps Internet service in St. Petersburg and throughout its Pinellas County service area, and has been coupling that with “Ultra,” a whole-home HD-DVR platform from Arris that integrates Netflix. WOW is also starting to roll out a new hybrid QAM/IP device from Evolution Digital that runs the TiVo platform that will eventually support a cloud DVR service.
“WOW! has a rich legacy of being an award-winning, independent operator that has competed effectively throughout the Southeast and Midwest U.S.,” Steve Pozil, WOW’s VP and GM of Florida, said in a statement. lorida. “What sets us apart in Pinellas County, Tampa and the other markets we serve is the exceptional customer experience and value we provide. Mergers and other industry transactions often can be disruptive and present WOW! with opportunities to create even more value and serve new residential and commercial customers.”
