Frontier stuck to a promise to roll out its first multi-gig service tier in Q1, debuting a 2-gig internet offer that is available across its entire fiber footprint.
An operator representative told Fierce Frontier plans to make the new service tier available to all of the new locations it builds to as its plan to expand to 10 million locations by then end of 2025 unfolds.
The new plan is priced at $149.99 per month. While that’s significantly higher than the cost of similar plans from the likes of AT&T, Ziply Fiber and Google Fiber, which range from $100 to $120, Frontier is throwing in a bunch of extras to sweeten the deal. These include a 2-gig router and Wi-Fi extender, voice line and multi-device security at no extra charge. It’s also offering a free 43-inch Amazon Fire TV and Logitech webcam to the first 1,000 customers who sign up for the service.
Frontier isn’t the first to debut a multi-gig offer – as previously noted, AT&T, Ziply, Google Fiber and Verizon have all rolled out 2-gig service plans. But Frontier is billing itself as the first to offer its multi-gig service across its entire footprint from day one. Verizon initially only rolled out its 2-gig offer in New York City, while Ziply and AT&T launched their multi-gig offers in 60 and 70 cities, respectively.
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In terms of direct competition, the Frontier representative said it only has “one or fewer” rivals in 84% of its footprint. Most of those are “cable companies that simply can’t match our speeds. On the ISP side, there is very limited overlap,” the representative said.
“We’re thrilled to become the first and only major ISP to deliver network-wide 2 Gig internet service, as we unleash the power of our fiber network,” Frontier CEO Nick Jeffery said in a statement. “Today is proof that Frontier is doing what customers want and cable can’t – bringing faster speeds and greater value to consumers.”
As of the end of Q3 2021, Frontier passed 3.8 million homes with fiber and said it planned to increase that to 5 million by the end of 2022. It reports Q4 2021 results tomorrow (February 23).
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Frontier originally announced its intent to launch a 2 Gbps service tier in August 2021. At the time, Jeffery said it was already in “advanced planning” for another multi-gig tier offering between 5 Gbps and 10 Gbps. The operator representative reiterated its plans to launch another multi-gig service tier, noting the average Frontier customer already has 22 connected devices in their home and that number continues to grow.
The representative concluded “2 Gig is just the start of Frontier’s future.”