Wai‘anae (May 28, 2022) — In celebration of its fiber network expansion in Wai‘anae, Hawaiian Telcom hosted a free community event -- “Imagine Wai‘anae” -- on Saturday, May 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Wai‘anae Mall.
The event featured family-friendly activities and a fashion show emceed by Wai‘anae High School alumnus and renowned fashion designer Ari South. The show highlighted the designs of Wai‘anae High's fashion and design students who were challenged to weave Hawaiian Telcom's "Image the Possibilities" campaign that invites people to imagine a world where everyone has access to fiber internet service to connect, learn and dream into their designs.
"We are inviting our communities to Imagine the Possibilities with us as we bridge the digital divide in Hawai‘i by accelerating our fiber expansion to deliver ultra-fast 100% fiber broadband service to underserved neighborhoods in Wai'anae and across our state," said president and general manager Su Shin.
Hawaiian Telcom announced it will enable 50,000 additional homes and businesses with its 100% fiber internet service called Fioptics in 2022. More than half of these locations will be on the neighbor islands. Fioptics offers ultra-fast download speeds and the fastest upload speed in the state, enabling multiple users to share the same online connection without interruption.
After the fashion show, Hawaiian Telcom presented a $2,000 donation to Wai'anae High School as well as $700 in cash awards to support Hawai'is next generation of fashion designers who aspire to follow in the footsteps of Ari South.
"We are grateful for Hawaiian Telcom's support as a strong community partner and a reliable service provider as we build a collaborative learning environment for our students," said Rebecca Gebreysus, Waianae High School Vice Principal.
"Everyone needs fast and reliable internet service, especially in underserved areas where it can make such a difference to local families, " said Ari South. "I appreciate Hawaiian Telcom's recognition of the digital inequity that exists today and their efforts to change that by bringing broadband access to more people here on the Wai'anae Coast."
Hawaiian Telcom's Fioptics expansion throuhout Wai'anae and Nānākuli is in progress and targeted to be completed this fall. In addition, Hawaiian Telcom is expandin its 100% fiber internet service on Lāna‘i and Moloka‘i as well as in Kapa‘a, Kaua‘i; Wailuku, Maui; Kea‘au on Hawai‘i island. To learn more or to see if your address qualifies for service, visit hawaiiantel.com/fioptics.
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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. With employees statewide sharing a commitment to innovation and a passion for delivering superior service, Hawaiian Telcom is proud to be Hawai'i's Technology Leader. Fore more information, visit hawaiiantel.com.
Contact
Ann Nishida Fry
(808) 285-9289
Ann.nishida@hawaiiantel.com