FairPoint to Offer Gigabit Internet Service in Portsmouth, N.H.

MANCHESTER, NH — FairPointCommunications, a provider of advanced communications technology in northern New England, announced that up to 1 Gbps fiber Internet service is coming to Portsmouth, N.H., and certain surrounding communities. This is the first time FairPoint has delivered gigabit Internet service to residential customers anywhere in its footprint and adds to the list of high-speed Internet and Ethernet network options already available to business customers. The new super high-speed Internet service will allow customers to instantly send and receive files, conduct online video chats, stream multiple high-definition movies, connect to cloud-based applications, seamlessly connect multiple mobile devices to the network, and more.

"We're excited to announce Portsmouth as our first gigabit-enabled city," said John Lunny, FairPoint Communications executive vice president and chief technology officer. "Our fiber-to-the-premise gigabit Internet service rollout demonstrates our commitment to leveraging our extensive fiber network and dense metro Ethernet backbone in response to growing customer demand for higher speed services. We continue to invest in our technology infrastructure and advanced services capabilities in support of a wide variety of new consumer and business offerings."

Download Speeds Starting at 150 Mbps Up to 1 Gbps
The fiber-based gigabit Internet service will be available for a limited time at promotional prices starting at $84.99 per month for consumers and $145.99 per month for businesses. FairPoint is also introducing a wide range of new Internet service tiers. FairPoint's new services have download speeds starting at 150 Mbps up to 1 Gbps, and upload speeds starting at 75 Mbps up to 1 Gbps.
FairPoint's most robust new offering is a symmetrical 1 Gbps service with the same speed for both uploads and downloads.

Speeds of 1 Gbps are about 100 times faster than the average fixed high-speed Internet connection, according to the Federal Communications Commission. At this Internet speed, consumers could download a four-minute song (4MB) instantly or download a two-hour HD movie (4.5GB) in approximately 36 seconds. It could take less than 5 seconds to upload large videos to YouTube (500 MB) or to upload 50 photos (100 MB) to social media sites.

"Gigabit Internet service enables multiple users in a household to simultaneously stream high-definition and ultra-high-definition video and gaming applications, download music, share photos and videos, and work from home with a very high-quality user experience," said Lunny.

Along with Portsmouth, N.H., FairPoint's new gigabit Internet service will be available in December 2015 to residents and businesses at select addresses eligible for FairPoint's fiber-based services in Greenland, N.H., New Castle, N.H., Newington, N.H., Rye, N.H. and Stratham, N.H. To register to be notified when service becomes available, visit www.fairpoint.com/1gig.