Altice USA unveils ‘Generation GigaSpeed’
November 30, 2016
Altice USA, the fourth largest US cable company, plans to invest further in the US by building a next-generation fibre-to-the-home network capable of delivering broadband speeds of up to 10 Gbps across its footprint.
Altice USA will extend fibre deeper into its existing hybrid fibre coax (HFC) network and leverage cutting-edge and proprietary technologies developed by Altice Labs, the company’s global research and development arm, to create its state-of-the-art system. This full-scale initiative reflects Altice’s investment in technology and innovation across the globe and reinforces its commitment to its Optimum and Suddenlink residential and business customers in the US.
Altice USA – a subsidiary of leading global telecommunications, media and entertainment company Altice – is the first major US cable provider to announce a large-scale fibre deployment plan for its footprint.
“Across the globe, Altice has invested heavily in building state-of-the-art fibre-optic networks, and we are pleased to bring our expertise stateside to drive fibre deeper into our infrastructure for the benefit of our US Optimum and Suddenlink customers,” said Dexter Goei, Altice USA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Today, we have a best-in-class network with incredibly fast speeds and quality service, and by taking immediate steps to create the fastest next-generation network, we will be positioned to support our customers’ needs well into the future. Altice USA’s ‘Generation GigaSpeed’ underscores our promise to accelerate investment in our network, sets the foundation for the delivery of next-generation services and enhancements for our customers, and is a testimony to the bright future of the U.S. telecommunications industry.”
The company’s five-year deployment schedule will begin in 2017, and the company expects to reach all its Optimum footprint and most of its Suddenlink footprint during that timeframe. Initial rollout markets will be announced in the coming months. In addition to delivering a superior customer experience for the long term, the new architecture will result in a more efficient and robust network with a significant reduction in energy consumption. Altice expects to reinvest efficiency savings to support the buildout without a material change in its overall capital budget.
Since Altice USA’s inception with the acquisition of Suddenlink followed by Cablevision/Optimum, the company has been aggressive in rolling out enhanced services to its customers, tripling internet speeds to up to 300 Mbps for residential customers and 350 Mbps for business customers in its Optimum footprint more than one year ahead of schedule. The company has also expanded 1 Gigabit broadband service to nearly half of Suddenlink’s service area. In the Suddenlink footprint, the company continues to introduce an all-digital TV lineup and in the Optimum footprint, the company has extended its outdoor WiFi network and is expanding its business product portfolio.
Altice France is on track to reach 22 million fibre homes by the end of 2022, and Altice Portugal will reach the milestone of 5.3 million fibre homes passed by the end of 2020 making Portugal the first European country entirely equipped with fibre.