C Spire says it plans to spend $1 billion within the next three years on fiber network deployments in its home state of Mississippi and neighboring Alabama. The fiber deployments will support the company’s fiber to the premises (FTTP) and 5G mobile aspirations.
The 5G support projects will be focused on Mississippi, while the company hopes to be able to provide FTTP-based offerings to more than 200,000 homes and businesses by 2025 in the two states.
In Mississippi, the company expects to bring fiber within 1,000 feet of half of the state’s residential premises, which will enable it to provide 5G services to nearly 600 sites representing more than 60% of the state. More than 300 sites are expected to be activated by the end of this year.
In Alabama, C Spire expects to be able to offer FTTP broadband in more than two dozen Alabama markets.
“We have a strong reputation of providing world-class products and services to consumers and businesses and this investment signals that we intend to deliver these benefits faster than ever before,” said C Spire CEO Hu Meena, noting that the firm will make the initial investment in three years with another $500 million in capital spending over a five-year period.
The deployments build on C Spire’s previous work to expand its footprint, including its recent acquisitions of Teklinks and Harbor Communications.
Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director & Associate Publisher
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, DOCSIS technology, and more.