Windstream’s Wholesale division expanded its fiber footprint to 60,000 new locations in its 18-state footprint. The company said that this is part of its $2 billion, multi-year fiber expansion project. Windstream also said that its fiber network is now open to wholesale partners who can then sell it to their business customers.
One of those wholesale partners is the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC). Last June, Windstream Wholesale signed a network transport agreement with the NCTC, giving the organization’s 750 broadband and pay-TV members preferred pricing and terms for Windstream’s transport connections. The three-year deal includes point-to-point wave services, facilities upgrades and service area expansions.
Windstream has been aggressively expanding its fiber footprint. Besides the $2 billion initiative, the company also was awarded $523 million in the FCC’s recent Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) reverse auction and plans to deliver broadband to 192,567 locations in its 18-state footprint. The company said it will primarily rely on fiber to meet its obligations in the RDOF auction.
Windstream added 60,000 net new broadband customers in 2020 and also extended its gigabit services to 589,000 locations across its footprint.
Related: Windstream Wholesale sets 400GbE record with Acacia pluggable modules
In other Windstream news, the company’s Enterprise division said that it has renewed its compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) for its SD-WAN and managed network security services. The PCI DSS provides independent verification that the cardholder data is being securely processed, stored and transmitted.