Cable One (NYSE: CABO) has completed its acquisition of NewWave Communications, and also announced the launch of WiFi ONE, intended to improve WiFi signals throughout the customer premises.
Cable ONE's all-cash $735 million acquisition of NewWave was originally announced on Jan. 18. The combined company serves more than 1.2 million primary service units in 21 states and expands Cable ONE's footprint into additional non-metropolitan markets. NewWave provides high-speed data, video and voice services to residential and business customers throughout non-urban areas of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas.
"Our acquisition of NewWave is extremely positive for our customers, our associates and our shareholders," said Julie Laulis, president and CEO of Cable ONE. "I am pleased to welcome the NewWave teams from around the country to Cable ONE as we work together to integrate and deliver on our financial objectives."
Regarding WiFi ONE, Varn Chavez, Cable ONE director of product management, said: "WiFi ONE will give our customers the freedom to access our super-fast Internet speeds from multiple devices anywhere in their home - eliminating dead zones and buffering that can interfere with surfing, streaming and gaming."
WiFi ONE certified technicians will use signal mapping software to find the optimum location of the WiFi gateway in a customer's home and determine the proper hardware configuration based on the customer's number of wireless devices and the design and structure of the home. Technology solutions will be customized based on customer need, and may include 4x4 antennas utilizing multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output (MU-MIMO) technology delivered via N or AC radios and MoCA extenders.
Cable ONE says it has invested more than $700 million over the past five years on network upgrades and enhancements. The company has launched its GigaONE gigabit Internet service, based on DOCSIS 3.0, in the majority of its markets, most recently in Brookhaven and McComb, MS. To date, the service has been deployed in parts of Alabama, Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, Minnesota, Arizona, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Mississippi.
"More than 90% of Cable ONE customers currently subscribe to speeds from 100 Mbps up to 1 Gigabit, and all of the customers in the markets we serve have access to these speeds," said Chavez. "We're proud to say that we have bridged the digital divide in Cable ONE markets."
WiFi ONE is available at no additional fee to Cable ONE customers who currently lease a modem. All other customers can upgrade to WiFi ONE by leasing a Cable ONE modem for $8 per month.