HONOLULU — Hawaiian Telcom invested more than $160 million in private capital to further expand its statewide fiber network, increase its network capacity and support its technology and communications solutions for customers.
The move represents significant progress in bridging Hawai‘i’s digital divide in 2022, the company said in a press release.
“Our vision is to make a positive impact in Hawai‘i by shrinking the digital divide and enabling as many homes and businesses with fiber internet service as we can,” said Su Shin, president and general manager of Hawaiian Telcom. “Internet connectivity makes a positive difference in our quality of life, and we want to see that for every resident and every business.”
“Last year, our team went above and beyond, exceeding our original target and expanding fiber to 55,000 additional homes and businesses, the highest number of locations we have enabled in a single year,” Shin said.
Last year, Hawaiian Telcom focused on expanding its fiber infrastructure to more rural and underserved areas. More than half of the additional 55,000 fiber-enabled locations are on the neighbor islands. In 2022, Hawaiian Telcom expanded fiber to all of Kealia and Lawa‘i on Kaua‘i, as well as parts of Manoa, Kailua and Waimanalo on O‘ahu, Wailuku on Maui, and on Hawai‘i Island, Kalaloa and Laupahoehoe.
“Broadband expansion must be a top priority in our state to address digital inequity, and to improve access to education, health care and economic opportunities,” said Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, who leads Hawai‘i’s statewide broadband initiatives. “Companies, such as Hawaiian Telcom, are playing a critical role in helping to move our state move forward.”
Approximately 268,000 locations in Hawai‘i now have access to Hawaiian Telcom’s 100 percent fiber internet service Fioptics, with the fastest upload speed in the state of 500 megabits per second, known as Mbps, and ultra-fast, one gigabit download speed.
Hawaiian Telcom is the only internet service provider in the state that takes fiber optics all the way to homes and businesses, and has invested more than $1 billion over the past 10 years to expand and support its network, and to serve its residential, business and wholesale customers. Residents and businesses can visit hawaiiantel.com/fioptics to see if their location qualifies for Fioptics.
Fiber optic cables carry 10,000 times more bandwidth than traditional copper cables, and fast upload speeds provide a better experience with video calls, file uploads and security cameras. In addition to transmitting data at faster speeds, fiber optic cables are more energy efficient, more durable and less susceptible to elements, such as water and electromagmetic interference.
Hawaiian Telcom is continuing to expand fiber throughout the state, with plans to enable 60,000 additional locations with fiber in 2023.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
