PODCAST: Astound’s Brandt plots a growth path focused on enhanced customer experience
Astound, like other broadband players, is undergoing a transition. The service provider is merging with GFiber to create a larger independent broadband provider, as the fiber broadband segment consolidates to meet new scale.
Astound itself has been a story of consolidation. In 2018, TPG Capital acquired Wave Broadband. Wave was then combined with RCN Corporation and Grande Communications, both of which were acquired in February 2017, in a $2.25 billion deal; TPG bought RCN for $1.6 billion and Grande for $650 million.
GFiber will leverage Astound’s experience in building large-scale fiber networks and community partnerships. The combined company, which aims to expand fiber infrastructure into new markets across California, Colorado, and Iowa, will create a larger platform to serve over 1 million customers across multiple U.S. markets.
Astound named telecom veteran Ettienne Brandt as CEO in March. He will focus on expanding Astound's fiber footprint, integrating GFiber assets, and developing converged wireline and wireless services to stay competitive. In this podcast, we spoke with Brandt about his plans to implement new company-wide best practices to improve customer experience while maintaining its local feel.
Here’s a timeline of the episode
Opening/Introduction | 0:03
Taking on Astound’s CEO role | 1:03
Brandt talks about his first few months on the job.
Highlighting initial priorities | 2:17
As the cable industry faces customer retention challenges, Brandt launched an internal program called the Astound Way to drive company-wide best practices while maintaining a local feel.
Competitive environment | 4:17
Brandt highlights how Astound is charting a growth path by improving customer experience, making it as easy to deal with us as it is to deal with fixed wireless access (FWA) providers.
Astound’s residential service opportunity | 6:18
How the service provider is enhancing the residential experience with a three-pronged approach: providing instant-on broadband activation for multi-dwelling units (MDUs), distribution and broadband pricing options.
MDU broadband approach | 9:10
Astound tailors its MDU broadband strategy to each market and opportunity.
Focus on easing the experience | 10:25
How customers can get access to service and solve issues quickly.
Business and wholesale services evolution | 11:10
Astound is not only growing business services revenue, but it is also growing wholesale services to data centers.
Data center opportunities | 12:23
How the service provider is positioning itself to serve data centers that reside near or within its network footprint.
Setting priorities | 12:54
After meeting with management leaders at Astound, Brandt is working to realign its purpose, create strategy pillars, and gain clarity.
Wireless and bundling factor | 18:19
How service providers with multiple products can create customer stickiness.
Final thoughts/closing | 19:55
Meet our guest
Ettienne Brandt was named CEO of Astound in March. Brandt leads Astound as it continues to execute its network expansion and prepares for a planned merger with GFiber (formerly Google Fiber), following an agreement announced in mid-March to combine the two companies and create one of the largest independent fiber-based broadband providers in the country. Brandt has more than 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry across multiple scaled wireless and broadband platforms. He most recently served as Executive Vice President, Commercial at Frontier Communications, where he was a key senior executive in the company’s successful transformation, ultimately leading to Frontier’s $20 billion sale to Verizon. Before Frontier, Brandt worked for various telecommunications providers, including British Telecom, EE, Orange, and ntl (now Virgin Media), and has vast experience in the Consumer and Commercial segments within wireless and wireline.
About the Podcast
In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address the key issues affecting the optical and broadband industry segments. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com.
About the Author
Sean BuckleySean Buckley
Sean is the Editor-in-Chief of Lightwave. He establishes and executes Lightwave's editorial strategy across its website, email newsletters, events, and other information products. Before coming to Lightwave in July 2023, he served as editor of Broadband Communities. Earlier, he served as senior editor of FierceTelecom and the editor of the former Telecommunications Magazine. He got his start in the optical industry in 1998 when he became the editor of enterprise and optical networks at Information Gatekeepers. He has a BA in English from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and lives in Dracut, Mass, with his wife, two sons, and his cat, Dove.
