WOW! targets fiber to 400K homes by 2027

With a much lighter debt load following a pair of asset sales totaling $1.8 billion in 2021, US broadband provider WideOpenWest (WOW!) set its sights on building greenfield fiber to as many as 400,000 homes by 2027. CFO John Rego said the company will start with an initial goal of building fiber-to-the-home to 200,000 locations by 2025 at an approximate cost of $160 million. If it finds success in its starter markets, he said, WOW! will up its spend and press on to hit 400,000 locations by 2027. All the while, it also plans to continue investing in edge outs and business services, Rego added. Company CEO Teresa Elder stated it plans to begin construction in its first greenfield fiber markets in 2022 and see new subscribers from those projects by 2023. Elder noted it has achieved edge out penetration rates of around 20 percent to 25 percent in markets where it faces stiff competition. WOW! expects it can do better in its chosen fiber markets since there will be less competitive intensity in those areas, she added. In terms of technology, CTO Henry Hryckiewicz said the WOW! fiber network will be 10-gig ready on day one and scalable up to 50 Gbps.