Honolulu (February 14, 2023) – Hawaiian Telcom made significant progress in bridging Hawai‘i’s digital divide in 2022, investing over $160 million in private capital to further expand its statewide fiber network, increase its network capacity, and support its communications and technology solutions for customers.
“Our vision is to make a positive impact in Hawai‘i by shrinking the digital divide and enabling as many homes and businesses with fiber internet service as we can,” said Su Shin, president and general manager of Hawaiian Telcom. “Internet connectivity makes a positive difference in our quality of life and we want to see that for every resident and every business.”
“Last year our team went above and beyond, exceeding our original target and expanding fiber to 55,000 additional homes and businesses, the most locations we have enabled in a single year,” said Shin.
“Broadband expansion must be a top priority in our state to address digital inequity and to improve access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities,” said Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, who leads Hawai‘i’s statewide broadband initiatives. “Companies such as Hawaiian Telcom are playing a critical role in helping to move our state forward.”
Approximately 268,000 locations in Hawai‘i now have access to Hawaiian Telcom’s 100% fiber internet service Fioptics with the fastest upload speed in the state of 500 megabits per second (Mbps) and ultra-fast one gigabit download speed.
Last year Hawaiian Telcom focused on expanding its fiber infrastructure to more rural and underserved areas. More than half of the additional 55,000 fiber-enabled locations is on the neighbor islands. In 2022, Hawaiian Telcom expanded fiber to all of Keālia and Lāwa‘i on Kaua‘i as well as parts of the following areas:
- Mānoa, Kailua and Waimānalo on O‘ahu,
- Wailuku on Maui,
- Kalaoa, and Laupāhoehoe on Hawai‘i Island.
Hawaiian Telcom is the only internet service provider in the state that takes fiber optics all the way to homes and businesses and that has invested more than $1 billion over the last ten years to expand and support its network, and to serve its residential, business and wholesale customers. Residents and businesses can visit hawaiiantel.com/fioptics to check if their location qualifies for Fioptics.
Fiber-optic cables carry 10,000 times more bandwidth than traditional copper cables and fast upload speeds provide a better experience with video calls, file uploads, and security cameras. In addition to transmitting data at faster speeds, fiber-optic cables are more energy-efficient, more durable and less susceptible to elements such as water and electromagnetic interference.
Hawaiian Telcom is continuing to expand fiber throughout the state with plans to enable 60,000 additional locations with fiber in 2023.
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About Hawaiian Telcom
Hawaiian Telcom, established in 1883 and headquartered in Honolulu, 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