BBWN Bites: C Spire Strikes Broadband Deal With Alabama Power
Also today, China set to blast into satellite broadband in 2020 while Egypt plans satellite broadband debut today; some young adults do watch streaming video on TV, KPMG finds (among other things); and more.
Starting next year, C Spire will deploy fiber-based gigabit broadband to homes and businesses across Alabama, Alabama News Center reported on Thursday. It's working as the newest member of the Alabama Rural Broadband Coalition (ARBC), formed with the help of the Energy Institute of Alabama. As part of this deal, C Spire will contract for part of Alabama Power's fiber infrastructure to support the operator's state-wide retail Internet, voice, video and related broadband-based services, the report said. Alabama Power does not sell to consumers.
Alabama Rural Broadband Coalition expands with C Spire from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
China is expected to enter the global satellite broadband arena with the debut launch of its Hongyun fleet next year. A division of state-owned China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp (CASIC), which builds and develops the satellites, plans to launch 156 devices into low-earth orbit (LEO) to provide broadband connectivity to China and elsewhere, reports Robert Clark in Light Reading today. In December 2018, CASIC launched a successful test of a service designed to help serve the 541 million Chinese without broadband; 854 million have broadband Internet, the Chinese government said. (See China Joins Global Satellite Broadband Party .)
Egypt plans to enter the satellite space today at 21:08 GMT (4:05 pm ET), according to Reuters. One of Europe's Arianespace rockets is scheduled to fire Tiba-1 from a space center in French Guiana, and the Egyptian Space Agency will operate the satellite from Cairo. The 5.6-ton satellite, made by Airbus and Thales Alenia Space, is expected to orbit for at least 15 years, providing broadband to all Egypt and, perhaps, some neighboring Arab and African countries.
Consumers have access to between two and three streaming video services, found a recent KPMG study. On average, they pay $22 per month, and would pay $11 more for additional streaming services, the report found. Choice of viewing devices does vary by age -- although 30% of 18-24-year-olds still watch SVoD on the boob tube.
Internet, TV and phone provider MCTV launched MCTV Whole-Home WiFi, powered by Plume, for an additional $10.95 per month. The smart-home services use cloud-based artificial intelligence to deliver an integrated solution controlled via the Plume app, according to the Eastern Ohio-based provider. (See BBWN Bites: Charter Picks Plume OpenSync for Smart Home.)
More C-level news from Telia, with the announcement that former acting CEO of Telia Denmark, Thomas Kjærsgaard, is now the permanent CEO of the Danish operator. Kjærsgaard took on the temp role in September. Yesterday, Telia Norway shared some changes, as BBWN reported.
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— Alison Diana, Editor, Broadband World News. Follow us on Twitter or @alisoncdiana. Like what you read: Sign up for our weekly newsletter.
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Here's where you can find episode links for 'The Divide,' Light Reading's podcast series featuring conversations with broadband providers and policymakers working to close the digital divide.
As we have for the past two years, Light Reading will present our Cable Next-Gen Europe conference as a free digital symposium on June 21.
Charter has sparked RDOF work in all 24 states where it won bids. The cable op booked about $19 million in RDOF revenues in Q1, and expects to have about $9 million per month come in over the next ten years.
As we have for the past two years, Light Reading will stage the Cable Next-Gen Technologies & Strategies conference as a free digital event over two half-days in mid-March.
Launch of 2-Gig and 5-Gig FTTP tiers in 70-plus markets puts more pressure on cable ops to enhance their existing DOCSIS 3.1 network or accelerate their upgrade activity centered on the new DOCSIS 4.0 specs.
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