A TDS fiber network expansion will bring 1 Gbps service to a total of 68,000 addresses in Spokane County and Spokane Valley in Washington State. The new addresses include 22,000 in Spokane County – including the city of Millwood – and 46,000 in Spokane Valley.
The Spokane network, which offers all-digital TV service, TDS TV+ and phone options, launched in six neighborhoods in April. The 1,100 mile FTTH network eventually will connect more than 88,000 homes and businesses. Construction began last year, with services to be added in phases, the company says.
“TDS is delighted to bring a new choice with fiber optic speeds for residents in Spokane Valley and Spokane County,” TDS vice president of Marketing and Product Development Julie Maiers said in a press release about the TDS 1 Gbps expansion. “Along with our gigabit internet speeds, TDS also offers a state-of-the-art TV viewing experience and voice service.”
Telecompetitor covered the lighting of the first six neighborhoods in May.
The Spokane area project was announced in late February 2020. At that time, the company said that service would be provided through TDS Metrocom, the company’s competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC).
TDS is overbuilding two high profile service providers, Comcast and CenturyLink. A story that appeared in The Spokesman-Review when the overbuild was announced said that TDS research suggested that there is high demand in the Spokane market for competitive broadband options. TDS also is constructing a 700-mile network in nearby Coeur d’Alene, ID.
TDS is aggressive on the fiber front. When it announced its 2020 results in February, it said that it had passed 300,000 locations with fiber, about 36% of its 845,000 wireline locations. The company promised to add 150,000 locations this year and to more than double its fiber locations – to 620,000 – by 2024.
