Hawaiian Telcom Expands Fiber to 5,000 Rural Locations

HONOLULU — Hawaiian Telcom announced it has expanded fiber broadband to 5,000 locations in rural areas in Hawai‘i. Partially supported by the federal Connect America Fund (CAF), this expansion includes the first CAF deployment on Moloka‘i.

About 70 percent of the deployments used fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) technology, enabling access to 1 Gig internet service, which Hawaiian Telcom was the first in Hawai‘i to launch in June 2015. Since then Hawaiian Telcom expanded 1 gig availability by more than 50 percent to more than 140,000 residences and businesses on O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Maui and the Big Island. In 2016 Puʻu Lani Ranch and Puʻuanahulu on Hawai‘i Island were the first CAF-eligible areas enabled for broadband with FTTP technology.

Broadband is now available in parts of these communities: Eden Roc, Fern Acres, Fern Forest, Glenwood, Hawaiian Acres, Hakalau, Kaiwiki, Kalapana, Kalōpā Mauka, Kapoho, Kurtistown, Leilani Estates, Miloli‘i, Nanawale Estates, Nīnole, Ocean View Estates, Orchidland, Ouli, Pa‘auilo Mauka and Waiki‘i Ranch on Hawai‘i Island, Huelo on Maui, and Kaluako‘i on Moloka‘i.

In 2015, Hawaiian Telcom was awarded approximately $26 million in CAF Phase II support to deploy a minimum of 10 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream to more than 11,000 unserved locations by 2020. The Federal Communications Commission selects CAF-eligible areas.