Astound Broadband, the sixth-largest U.S. cable operator comprising the operations of regional service providers RCN, Grande Communications, Wave Broadband, and enTouch Systems, this week announced that the company has partnered with Reach, the ubiquitous software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform and mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) technology for dispersing network-based services, to launch the new Astound Mobile offering.
A new multi-year strategic partnership will allow the operator's customers to take advantage of digital operator mobile services furnished by Reach, and will soon be available to the four million homes currently passed by Astound Broadband, whose service area includes Chicago, Indiana, Eastern Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York City, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Texas, and regions throughout California, Oregon, and Washington.
As stated by a company press release, "Building on Astound’s heritage of award-winning customer service, Astound Mobile will leverage one of the nation’s largest 5G networks and will offer a variety of plans that will give customers access to substantial savings when bundled with Astound’s ultra-fast internet service."
Reach is a technology company headquartered in Boston with a stated mission to simplify monetizing network assets across wireless, broadband and satellite infrastructures. The company says its cloud-based SaaS platform allows companies to launch network-based services quickly and simply. The end-to-end platform combines network connectivity, IT and back office tools, and features sleek user interfaces within a flexible and scalable platform for launching high-quality, differentiated network-based services.
Partnering with Reach offers Astound a turnkey solution for every persona serviced by the operator (including end users, sales and support agents, and business stakeholders), and every step of their customers' mobile journey (as reckoned by Reach: "Learn, Buy, Get, Use, Pay, Support, Acquire"). Reach's full broadband digitization suite includes modules for billing, service provisioning, customer self-service, agent interfaces, and other capabilities.
Astound said its entrance into the wireless market "comes at a time when the need for fast, reliable, high-value broadband and mobile services is more critical than ever."
“We’re committed to investing in the latest technology and partnerships so our customers can have access to the most advanced, high-value services they need to stay connected to their world,” added Jim Holanda, CEO of Astound Broadband. “Through our partnership with Reach, we’ll bring exceptional choice, value, savings and competitive, award-winning mobile services to our customers.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Astound and enable them to innovate in the mobile space with a very flexible and nimble platform,” concluded Harjot Saluja, founder and CEO of Reach. “By leveraging Reach’s innovative platform, Astound is launching a full-featured mobile service with a back-office portal, a white-labeled end-user experience for Astound customers, and access to a full portfolio of broadband connectivity solutions in addition to mobile.”
Matt Vincent | Senior Editor
Matt Vincent is senior editor of Broadband Technology Report. A B2B technology journalist, editor and content producer with over 17 years of experience, he specializes in the full range of media content production and management, as well as SEO and social media engagement best practices.