Hawaiian Telcom invested $160M to expand fiber infrastructure in 2022

An additional 55,000 homes and businesses were enabled with fiber-to-the-premise service in 2022, including parts of Wailuku, Maui, Hawaiian Telcom reports. That’s the highest number of locations the company has enabled in a single year.

The company invested more than $160 million in private capital to further expand its statewide fiber network last year. The work also involved an increase in network capacity, and support of its technology and communications solutions for customers.

Company representatives say the efforts translated to significant progress in bridging Hawaiʻi’s digital divide.

“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 in a news release. “Internet connectivity makes a positive difference in our quality of life and we want to see that for every resident and every business.”

“Broadband expansion must be a top priority in our state to address digital inequity and to improve access to education, healthcare, 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 forward.” 

Approximately 268,000 locations in Hawai‘i now have access to Hawaiian Telcom’s 100% fiber internet service Fioptics with the fastest upload speed in the state of 500 megabits per second (Mbps) and ultra-fast one gigabit download speed, according to the release.

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 Keālia and Lāwa‘i on Kaua‘i as well as parts of the following areas:

• Mānoa, Kailua and Waimānalo on O‘ahu,
• Wailuku on Maui,
• Kalaoa, and Laupāhoehoe on Hawai‘i Island.

Hawaiian Telcom has invested more than $1 billion over the last 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 check 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 electromagnetic interference, according to Hawaiian Telcom.

Hawaiian Telcom is continuing to expand fiber throughout the state with plans to enable 60,000 additional locations with fiber in 2023.