Last year, Hawaiian Telcom says it set a new record in capital spending to expand fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) availability and improve broadband connectivity in Hawaii.
The company says it invested more than $100 million to expand and support its next generation fiber network, connecting an additional 30,000 locations throughout the state. With FTTP broadband service, customers can access 500Mbps uploads, which Hawaiian Telcome says is the fastest upload speed in the state.
“Our core purpose at Hawaiian Telcom is to connect and empower Hawaii, so we are accelerating our fiber expansion to bring the benefits of high-speed broadband access to more people in more places throughout our state than we’ve ever done before,” said Su Shin, president and general manager.
Areas enabled with FTTP in 2021 include Kapa‘a, Hanamā‘ulu, and Hanapēpē on Kaua‘i; Kula and Makawao on Maui; Hawaiian Paradise Park, Hilo, Kaumana, Kea‘au, Mountain View, Nā‘ālehu, and Volcano on Hawaii island, and ‘Aiea, ‘Āina Haina, ‘Ewa Beach, Kahalu‘u, Kapolei, Mākaha, Mililani Mauka, Nānākuli, Waialua, Wai‘anae, and Waikiki on Oahu.
More than 215,000 locations in Hawaii now have access to Hawaiian Telcom’s ultra-fast FTTP services.
FTTP brings a fiber connection all the way to homes and businesses, providing a far superior experience in speed and reliability than any other type of internet connection. In addition to transmitting data at much faster speeds, fiber-optic cables are more durable and less susceptible to elements such as water and electromagnetic interference.
Last year Hawaiian Telcom says it leveraged federal programs, including the Connect America Fund (CAF), to expand FTTP broadband access to nearly 1,000 locations in underserved areas statewide.
The federal funds, which represent less than 10 percent of Hawaiian Telcom’s total capital investment, helped to offset some of the high costs to build to these rural areas that include ‘Āinaloa, Hakalau, Hawaiian Acres, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Honomū, Kea‘au, Mountain View, Pāpa‘aloa, Pōhaku, Umauma and Volcano on Hawaii island as well as portions of Olinda, Pi‘iholo and ‘Ulupalakua on Maui.
“Imagine the possibilities when everyone from keiki to kūpuna, from Hilo to Hanalei, has access to the benefits of online education, e-commerce, telehealth opportunities and the countless benefits that broadband can offer,” Shin said. “Our team is actively working to make this a reality.”
Residents and businesses can log onto hawaiiantel.com to check if their home or business qualifies for Hawaiian Telcom’s FTTP products and services.
About Hawaiian Telcom
Hawaiian Telcom, established and headquartered in Honolulu since 1883, offers a full range of services to business and residential customers including Internet, video, voice, data network solutions and security, colocation, and managed and cloud services – all supported by the reach and reliability of its next generation fiber network and 24/7 state-of-the-art network operations center. For more information, visit hawaiiantel.com.