Honolulu (August 25, 2022) – Hawaiian Telcom helped close the digital divide in Hawai‘i even further by enabling access to reliable, high-speed fiber internet service in more communities across the state in the first half of the year.
From January through June, Hawaiian Telcom extended its fiber-optic infrastructure to more than 22,000 homes and businesses, and is on target to achieve its goal of enabling a total of 50,000 homes and businesses with its ultra-fast 100% fiber internet service Fioptics by the end of the year. Fioptics is Hawai‘i's only 100% fiber internet service, providing the state’s fastest upload speed of 500 megabits per second (Mbps) and ultra-fast one gigabit download, one of the fastest download speeds available.
Gigabit fiber internet speeds transmit data faster and can support more than 20 devices. Today consumers are steadily pushing more data out as two-way communications, from gaming to telehealth visits to video calls, drive demand for faster upload speeds.
“Every home that is enabled with access to our 100% fiber internet is another step toward reducing the economic and social disparities in our state,” said Su Shin, Hawaiian Telcom’s president and general manager. “We recognize our kuleana, our responsibility, to expand our fiber broadband network to help enhance digital equity, and are making tremendous progress in fulfilling our commitment to extend fiber to as many communities as possible, as quickly as possible.”
More than 215,000 homes and businesses have access to Fioptics service today as Hawaiian Telcom has been actively investing in expanding its fiber infrastructure to help bridge the digital divide in Hawai‘i for many years. Since 2010, Hawaiian Telcom has invested more than $1 billion to expand its fiber footprint, to maintain and increase capacity of its communications network, and to support its integrated communication solutions for its business, residential and wholesale customers. Hawaiian Telcom invested more than $100 million last year alone.
More than half of the homes and businesses enabled with fiber this year are on the neighbor islands. Communities recently enabled with Hawaiian Telcom’s Fioptics service include parts of the following neighborhoods:
- Anahola, Kapa‘a, Kawaihau, Kōloa, Moloa’a and Wailua on Kaua‘i
- Haiku, Kihei and Makawao on Maui
- Kahalu‘u, Maunawili, Nānākuli (Nānākuli Ave.) and Wai‘anae (Kaupuni and Lower Lualualei) as well as the Hokulani and Makalapa neighborhoods on Joint Base Pearl Harbor – Hickam (JBPHH) on O‘ahu
- Kea‘au, Maku‘u, Paradise Park and Pahala on Hawai‘i Island
Residents and businesses can visit hawaiiantel.com/fioptics to check if their home or business qualifies for Fioptics.
To further enhance digital equity in Hawai‘i, Hawaiian Telcom participates in the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying tribal lands. Hawaiian Home Lands are considered qualifying tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price. For information about ACP eligibility and enrollment, please visit https://www.fcc.gov/acp.
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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 Hawaiʻi’s Technology Leader. For more information, visit hawaiiantel.com.
Contact
Ann Nishida Fry
(808) 285-9289
Ann.nishida@hawaiiantel.com