Building Broadband: AeroNet Wireless taps Tarana for multi-million-dollar upgrade; Astound expands existing fiber network in McGregor, Texas

AeroNet Wireless taps Tarana for multi-million dollar upgrade
AeroNet Wireless has implemented a million-dollar network infrastructure upgrade featuring Tarana Wireless’s next-generation Fixed Wireless Access (ngFWA) technology. The upgrade leverages Tarana’s G1 ngFWA platform, which is particularly valuable for Puerto Rico’s diverse topography, enabling AeroNet to deliver reliable broadband service across urban areas and challenging rural terrain throughout the island. The upgrade enables up to 1 Gbps speeds and positions AeroNet for fast, island-wide expansion. The upgrade implementation has been completed with minimal service disruption across the metropolitan area and key business markets, including Dorado, Caguas, Juncos, Humacao, and Fajardo. Customers in these regions experienced immediate performance improvements. AeroNet Wireless plans to expand the enhanced network coverage to additional markets, including Ponce, Mayagüez, and the northern region of the island.

Astound expands existing fiber network in McGregor, Texas
Astound has started work on a $2.2 million fiber network construction project to bring high-speed internet connectivity to residents and businesses in McGregor and nearby areas. Once complete, the project will provide nearly 2,000 homes and over 160 area businesses with access to Astound’s advanced fiber-powered network, delivering reliable, multi-gig speeds and paving the way for future residential and commercial internet speeds of up to 10 Gbps. Starting this September, residents in McGregor will gain access to Astound’s fiber network. The rollout will connect more than 1,300 homes and businesses by the end of 2025, with full coverage by the end of 2026. A local team of over 30 professionals has begun upgrading more than 40 miles of its infrastructure and expanding its existing network throughout the McGregor community.

Brightspeed’s $222M BEAD win will fuel fiber network expansion in six states
Brightspeed has been awarded federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program grants in Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. The states' combined grants awarded to Brightspeed total $222 million — enabling the company to reach an additional 73,709 homes and businesses with its multi-gig-speed Brightspeed Fiber Internet network. It is already making a multi-billion-dollar investment in deploying next-generation fiber broadband network technology to reach more than five million homes and businesses across 20 states — including Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. The company's Internet service is now available to nearly 318,000 homes and businesses in Arkansas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin, with thousands more coming online each month. Additionally, the BEAD awards mark the beginning of Brightspeed's fiber network build in Oklahoma.

Comcast expands broadband to 32K homes and businesses in rural Florida
Comcast is deepening its rural Florida broadband presence by bringing service to 32,000 homes and businesses in 16 counties. The projects were made possible thanks to a public-private partnership with the state of Florida's Broadband Opportunity Program and Capital Projects Fund. One of the largest areas to benefit from the program is Lehigh Acres. In the unincorporated part of eastern Lee County, more than 11,000 homes can now access high-speed connectivity. This expansion announcement includes completed projects in the following counties: Bradford, Charlotte, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Highlands, Jackson, Lee, Leon, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Okeechobee, St. Johns and St. Lucie. With the support of the Broadband Opportunity Program and Capital Projects Fund, Comcast is on track to complete the company's commitment to expand Internet access to a total of 64,000 homes and businesses in rural Florida by the end of 2026. Work will continue to build to 32,000 new locations in 13 additional counties. Those counties include: Bay, Glades, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Indian River, Lake, Nassau, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Union and Wakulla. In all, the projects amount to a $322 million investment between Comcast and the state of Florida.

Fidium brings fiber connectivity to Orland, Maine
Fidium has expanded its fiber internet service to Orland and Bucksport, bringing its fiber network to more than 2,400 homes and businesses. Fidium’s expansion of its all-fiber network, which began in April, brings all the benefits that come with access to a fiber broadband connection. Orland celebrated the completion of the new fiber network at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 12, being joined by representatives from the Maine Connectivity Authority and Fidium. Town officials and community members celebrated new fiber access, with Fidium naming Orland as an official ‘Gig Town.’ Today, over than 385,000 Maine homes and businesses have access to Fidium, including more than 27,000 locations in Bar Harbor, Blue Hill, Castine, Ellsworth, Orland, Winter Harbor and more towns in Hancock County.

Home Telecom brings SmartTown Community Wi-Fi to South Carolina's Berkeley High School athletic fields
Just in Time for Football Season, Home Telecom is continuing its mission to bring secure connectivity to the Lowcountry with the latest deployment of SmartTown Community Wi-Fi at Berkeley High School's athletic fields. The SmartTown Wi-Fi launch will coincide with the Berkeley Stags’ first home Varsity Football game against the Winter Park Wildcats at Moody Field on Friday, August 29. The timing could not be better — the SmartTown Wi-Fi launch will coincide with the Berkeley Stags' first home Varsity Football game of the season against the Winter Park Wildcats at Moody Field on Friday, August 29. Designed to deliver a seamless experience, Home Telecom customers will automatically connect when entering the athletic fields, while visitors can easily join the SmartTown Visitor network while on-site. This launch follows rollouts in Nexton and Main Street, Moncks Corner.

Shentel lights fiber internet to Radford, VA
Shentel is upgrading its network in Radford, Virginia, with fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) internet service. Shentel Fiber will bring symmetrical, multi-gig internet speeds to both residential and business customers, and construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The provider’s FTTH technology is supported by its 17,700-mile regional fiber network. Current Shentel customers can upgrade to Shentel’s fiber-to-the-home network at no additional cost as construction is completed in their neighborhood.

TDS celebrates completion of Appleton, Wisconsin fiber network
TDS Telecom recently celebrated the end of major construction activities on its all-fiber internet network in Appleton, Wisconsin. About 35,000 City of Appleton addresses have access to TDS’s network, which features speeds up to 8 Gbps. Since construction began in 2020, TDS crews and contractors have buried over 400 miles of fiber cable. TDS has made a total capital investment in Appleton of more than $80 million. The project is part of TDS’s transformation into a fiber-centric company, with high-speed networks under construction throughout the country. TDS continues working to expand its fiber network in other areas of the region, including Grand Chute, Neenah, Kaukauna, Manitowoc, Green Bay, Fond du Lac, Kohler, Sheboygan, and Sheboygan Falls. In addition to Appleton, construction has been completed in Little Chute, Kimberly, and Combined Locks.