Sparklight, formerly NewWave Communications, announced that it is investing nearly $900,000 in Southeast Texas in order to continue providing the fastest and most reliable internet service to the communities it serves.
“Sparklight’s purpose is to provide communities connectivity that enriches their world. These enhancements will allow us to fulfill that promise by delivering the superior service and reliability that our customers expect and deserve,” said Martin Schooley, Sparklight General Manager.
Work includes fiber and power supply upgrades, new electronics, and the installation of a new optical transport network, all of which will bring faster speeds and greater reliability and uptime to the region, as well as the ability to expand and upgrade the network to meet the future connectivity needs of both residents and businesses.
“These areas have seen marked population growth over the past several years which, in turn, has added increased demand for our services – especially now with the greatly increased number of residents working and learning from home,” Schooley continued. “Southeast Texas is also regularly in the path of tropical storms and hurricanes. The improvements we’re making will allow us to address both situations by not only upgrading our infrastructure but increasing the reliability of our backup power supplies.”
Fort Bend County in Texas is one of the fastest-growing counties in the U.S. with a 39 percent jump in residents since 2010. Brazoria County saw an increase of more than 18 percent over that same period.
Sparklight customers who will experience the benefits of these enhancements include those in Angleton, Manville, West Columbia, Pearland, Columbia Lakes, Sweeney and Palacios.
“The majority of work will be done during our normal maintenance window of 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. to minimize disruption to our customers,” Schooley added. “We anticipate a few disruptions for work that must be done during daytime hours, but we are working hard to limit those, and we appreciate the patience of our customers during this time. We know that many people are working and studying from home due to the pandemic and we are working hard to ensure we provide the seamless connectivity that is critical during these difficult times.”
The company anticipates that the majority of the work will be completed by the end of December, with the remaining work finished in May 2021.