NEW YORK—Altice USA’s Optimum brand has launched what it is billing as the largest rollout of a new 8 Gig symmetrical fiber internet service in the U.S. The service is available to more than 1.7 million residents and businesses across the company’s fiber footprint at launch and by year’s end, Optimum 8 Gig Fiber is expected to be available in areas that have more than 3 million homes and businesses.
“After launching 2 and 5 Gig symmetrical Fiber Internet speeds last year, Optimum is pleased to have invested even further in our network and infrastructure to bring next level 8 Gig symmetrical internet speeds to our fiber footprint,” said Leroy Williams, chief growth officer, Optimum. “Optimum is now the nation’s largest 8 Gig Fiber Internet provider, and availability will continue to increase as we deploy fiber to more homes and businesses as we solidify our position as the connectivity provider of choice across all the communities we serve. We look forward to bringing these reliable and faster speeds, along with an enhanced customer experience, to meet our customers’ growing data needs today and into the future.”
Optimum said that the launch represents the largest deployment of 8 Gig internet speeds in the country and cements Optimum as the nation’s largest 8 Gig internet provider. Those speeds are four times faster than Verizon, 60% faster than Frontier, and 32 times faster than T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, the operator claimed.
Backed by Optimum’s 100% Fiber Internet network, Optimum’s 8 Gig Fiber Internet offers 8 Gig symmetrical upload and download speeds to support data-intensive applications like AR/VR, gaming, graphic design, and video production, all while providing increased bandwidth that can simultaneously connect 100+ devices to the internet at once. The service is delivered directly into the home via the Optimum Fiber Gateway to enable fast, reliable WiFi in the home or business, with extenders available for extra coverage, the operator said.
“Optimum’s Fiber is deployed using XGS-PON, an advanced technology that enables multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds and that is superior to the legacy GPON standard used by many other fiber providers,” said Pragash Pillai, chief technology and information officer, Optimum. “As we continue to bring faster, more reliable service to customers through this state-of-the-art technology, the strength of Optimum’s Fiber network goes unmatched.”
