Windstream is offering free upgrades to its Kinetic fiber broadband service to 33,000 customers currently served by slower speed DSL infrastructure. The company is calling the initiative “Project Glass Echo.”
Eligible DSL customers can get speeds of 300Mbps at no extra charge on their monthly bills, regardless of what speed they were previously receiving, said Ben Midanek, Windstream’s chief marketing officer for Kinetic, in answer to questions from Telecompetitor.
“Fiber construction is already complete for these 33,000 customers,” Midanek said.
Some customers currently have speeds of less than 25Mbps.
Free Kinetic Upgrades
There are eligible customers throughout Windstream’s 18-state footprint. Two thirds of nearly 20,000 customers in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Kentucky, and Texas are eligible for the upgrade, the company said.
Speeds above 300Mbps also are available. Customers must call (800) 347-1991 to request the upgrade. The offering also includes free Whole Home WiFi installation.
Some customers also may need to upgrade their landline to digital voice service, which may be less costly than their current voice service, Windstream said.
“Customers who choose not to upgrade to fiber will remain on their existing service plans,” Midanek said. “We certainly hope that all eligible customers will take advantage of this opportunity to upgrade at no cost in order to experience the many benefits of fiber service, but these customers are welcome to continue with their current service if they choose.”
Some other companies have given customers a speed increase without increasing the cost of service – and that’s relatively easy to do when a customer is already on fiber or HFC/DOCSIS infrastructure.
What makes Windstream’s upgrades more challenging is that customers must be moved onto the company’s fiber broadband infrastructure to get the faster speeds.
