DQE Communications takes on Hagerstown, Maryland's business market

The competitive provider is touting its local presence and fiber assets as a differentiator for businesses.
March 31, 2026
3 min read

Key Highlights

  • DQE's new fiber network delivers symmetrical, dedicated connectivity optimized for business applications and cloud workloads.
  • The company offers a comprehensive suite of services, including DIA, Metro Ethernet, Wavelength, Dark Fiber, SD-WAN, and managed security solutions.
  • Owned and operated locally, DQE emphasizes faster issue resolution, accountability, and personalized support for its customers.
  • Target industries include healthcare, education, financial services, manufacturing, and public sector organizations, where reliable connectivity is critical.
  • Facing competition from providers like Antietam Broadband and Comcast, DQE leverages its regional presence and community focus as key differentiators.
www.dqe.com
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DQE Communications, a business-centric fiber network provider serving Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland, has lit its new fiber network in Hagerstown, Maryland, a market whose typical options were slower-speed best effort service that was not optimized for business needs. 

This expansion, which leverages DQE’s own infrastructure, brings dedicated connectivity to businesses across Washington County.

The competitive provider is offering dedicated business fiber connectivity in Washington County, Maryland, bringing enterprise-grade services to a market that traditionally had little to no business service offerings.

www.dqe.com/
DQE's business fiber network serves Hagerstown and other surrounding Maryland communities.

DQE's business fiber network serves Hagerstown and other surrounding Maryland communities. 

Dedicated fiber connectivity

Being a business-centric provider, DQE’s network delivers symmetrical, dedicated fiber connectivity to support a mix of cloud applications, data-intensive workloads and redundant connections.

DQE is also touting consistent performance and full transparency into how its network is built and supported.

The service provider offers a full suite of fiber-based connectivity services in Hagerstown, including Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), Metro Ethernet, Wavelength services, and Dark Fiber, along with Managed Network Security solutions.

It has continued to enhance its service set with other offerings, including SD-WAN, business voice and managed security. To appeal to small businesses, DQE also offers InternetPro, a dedicated fiber service with managed Wi-Fi, smart routing, and built-in protection.

Another potential benefit to businesses is that DQE has its network facilities. Because DQE owns and operates its network, customers benefit from faster issue resolution, greater accountability, and a single point of contact from design through ongoing support.

This model is especially valuable for industries in the Hagerstown and Washington County area, including healthcare, education, financial services, manufacturing, logistics, and public-sector organizations, where downtime, latency, or inconsistent performance can directly impact operations and service delivery.

A local focus

DQE is betting that owning its fiber network and a service model rooted in local expertise and long-term relationships could be a differentiator.

Founded in 1997 as part of Duquesne Light’s infrastructure in Pittsburgh, DQE was built to address high-capacity, most-resilient business use cases in some of the country's most challenging terrain. DQE

New customers, particularly multi-site businesses, could find DQE useful because it has network facilities in three states--Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland. With a reach into 110,000 buildings, 4,700 route miles, and connecting 3,500 on-net buildings, the service provider’s regional fiber network offers plenty of options for businesses.

Unlike the large Tier 1 providers that often centralize network management and customer service, DQE’s local presence could be an attractive alternative. Also, nearly all of DQE’s employees live and work within its network footprint.

www.dqe.com
Mike Sicoli, CEO of DQE Communications.

Mike Sicoli, CEO of DQE Communications. 

Mike Sicoli, CEO at DQE Communications, said its community presence will be an attraction to businesses.

“We build and manage our own fiber network, and we support it locally,” he said. “While Hagerstown is an afterthought to most other providers, who are more focused on big cities and/or residential customers, we are excited to bring superior service and purpose-built solutions to meet the needs of Hagerstown’s businesses and key institutions.”

Still, DQE will face some key service provider challengers in Hagerstown.

Besides established providers like local service provider Antietam Broadband, which has been building out a fiber network for homes and businesses, it will have to battle Comcast. Last February, Comcast launched a plan to reach 50,000 homes and businesses in the Hagerstown, MD area.

For related articles, visit the Business Topic Center.
For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
To stay abreast of fiber network deployments, subscribe to Lightwave’s Service Providers and Datacom/Data Center newsletters.

About the Author

Sean Buckley
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Sean Buckley

Sean is responsible for establishing and executing the editorial strategy of Lightwave across its website, email newsletters, events, and other information products.

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