Kinetic by Windstream added 55,000 broadband subscribers and expanded its gigabit services reach by 523,000 locations in 2021, Windstream reported.
The service provider now has had “consumer broadband growth” in 15 consecutive quarters, according to a press release. And the company’s gigabit service now reaches 1.1 million locations, which is 20% of its footprint. During the year, the company almost completed the process of adding close to 1,000 jobs in engineering and fiber construction.
It’s interesting to note that despite touting 15 consecutive quarters of consumer broadband growth, Windstream added about 5,000 fewer net broadband subscribers in 2021 than in 2020 when the total reached 60,000. It also added 589,000 gigabit locations in 2020, about 66,000 more than in 2021.
“When we announced our aggressive $2 billion investment in fiber deployment, we knew that our customers both wanted and needed this technology. Our network investments, supported by our best-of-breed customer service, are driving strong customer growth,” Kinetic president Jeff Small said in a press release. about the increase in Kinetic broadband subscribers. “Across our 18-state footprint, families and businesses see Kinetic as the premier service provider for fast, reliable internet in their communities.”
Last week, Frontier – which like Windstream, is also engaged in significant fiber construction – reviewed its 2021. The company, which exited bankruptcy in April, saw its first broadband growth of the past five years in the fourth quarter, according to EVP and CFO Scott Beasley, adding 45,000 fiber broadband subscribers. When balanced against lost legacy DSL subscribers, the company had a net addition of 9,000 broadband subscribers.
Windstream’s broadband growth going forward should get a boost, due to the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction, which provides funding to support broadband construction. Earlier this week, the FCC released the fifth public notice of authorization. Windstream, which was very active in the auction, was authorized in 14 states. This means that the funding will start to flow.
