Frontier increasing broadband speeds for 2 million customers

Frontier Communications will upgrade its copper plant to increase broadband speeds from 7 Mbps to 50-100 Mbps, CEO Dan McCarthy told investors during the second quarter earnings call. Instead of replacing these copper lines with fiber, Frontier will use various DSL technologies to achieve higher Internet speeds. The upgrade will reach two million homes over the next year.

“In many of the non-FiOS areas, this will be first-time customers will have the ability to choose a competitive internet service product, and we expect to see strong demand for these new capabilities,” McCarthy said. “Our primary focus will be increasing broadband penetration and offering customers opportunities to access the new speeds and capabilities we will introduce.”

Frontier acquired several million all-fiber lines last year from Verizon in Texas, California, and Florida. At that time, the company made commitments to expand broadband and will receive $283 million annually in federal Connect America Fund subsidies to expand broadband to 650,000 homes.

Altogether, Frontier expects to market its video service to 7 million customers.

Link:

Frontier to extend 50 Mbps speeds to 2M homes over the next year (FierceTelecom, Aug. 2, 2016)

Frontier commits to "aggressive" broadband buildout (Speed Matters, Aug. 17, 2015)