TDS Telecommunications LLC has revealed plans to build fiber to the premises (FTTP) networks in 18 Wisconsin communities. Construction in at least some of the communities in TDS’s home state will begin later this year.
The company will concentrate the new deployments on the northwestern part of the state and expects to pass 85,000 homes and businesses with FTTP. The communities include:
- Sheboygan
- Sheboygan Falls
- Plymouth
- Kohler
- Fond du Lac
- Fort Atkinson
- Jefferson
- Watertown
- Milton
- Evansville
- Fitchburg
- Dodgeville
- Mineral Point
- Bangor
- Rockland
- West Salem
- Tomah
- Menomonie.
“As a longtime Wisconsin company, we are so excited to serve even more communities in our home state,” said Drew Petersen, TDS senior vice president of corporate affairs. “The pandemic has shown the importance of having fast, reliable internet. We’re proud our fiber networks will help boost a critical part of infrastructure and improve residents’ quality of life.”
The new initiative comes on top of TDS’s existing plans for the state, which currently call for FTTP deployments in Green Bay, Oshkosh, Appleton, Brookfield, New Berlin, Janesville, Onalaska, Altoona, Sparta, Eau Claire, and Chippewa Falls (see, for example, "TDS expands Wisconsin fiber deployment to Chippewa Falls and Altoona"). In total, TDS expects to spend nearly a billion dollars on the fiber installations.
TDS plans to make available services with speeds up to 2 Gbps for residents and up to 10 Gbps for business customers. Video, phone, and service packages also will be offered.
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
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, and more.
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