More choices, 1Gig speeds: New internet, TV provider to build $80M fiber network in Meridian
Want fast internet with no data caps? Another TV or digital phone service option?
Help is on the way, Meridian. At broadband speeds.
Wisconsin-based TDS Fiber will invest $80 million to $100 million in a new fiber-to-the-home network, the company revealed Thursday. Offering high-speed internet, more than 100 TV channels and VoIP service, TDS plans to reach more than 57,000 homes and businesses. Services primarily will be available in Meridian, TDS spokesman Mike Wanta said, but also will touch Garden City and parts of unincorporated Ada County.
Construction is slated to start in the spring. The first customers should be hooked up by the fall, Wanta said.
“It will have a big impact,” Wanta said. “... With this investment, TDS will become a major communications player in the Meridian area.”
With speeds up to 1 gigabit for homes and 10 gigabit for businesses, TDS will offer fresh broadband competition. Sparklight and CenturyLink are the primary internet service providers in the Treasure Valley.
CenturyLink fiber internet is available to about 45,000 households in Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Eagle, Star and Kuna, according to senior lead communications manager Kerry Zimmer. The company has been adding fiber connectivity in the Boise metro area at a rate of about 10,000 households each year, she said. The plan is to continue expanding, she added. “We are always building fiber.”
Meridian will become “one of the most highly connected communities in the nation,” TDS promised in a media release. The majority of TDS fiber will be buried, with only some of it being aerial, Wanta said.
TDS services are sold separately or in packages, Wanta said. Current introductory internet prices are $40 for 300 Mpbs, $55 for 600 Mpbs and $75 for 1G. Prices drop $5 if they’re part of bundles.
“Our triple-play offerings of fiber-rich broadband with no data caps ... sophisticated video entertainment and HD digital voice services will prove highly appealing to Meridian customers and their pocketbooks,” Wanta said.
The fiber build-out, which is expected to take two to three years, will create jobs in the community. Newly created positions in sales and technical services are posted on the TDS website. More jobs are anticipated as the project continues.
TDS is new to the Boise area, but not to Idaho. The company started building a 700-mile fiberoptic network in North Idaho last year. It will serve Coeur d’Alene, Hayden, Hayden Lake, Post Falls and Rathdrum. Initial customers signed up in late 2019, and services will keep unfurling in phases this year. TDS also plans to invest $100 million in a fiber network in Spokane.
Want to know more about TDS as an ISP, TV or phone provider? The company encouraged Idahoans to explore its website, http://www.tdsfiber.com, in the media release: “By clicking the link, Garden City and ... Boise residents can complete their registration for services now, while residents in Meridian can sign up to receive updates for when they will be able to register.”
Garden City is expected to be the first area with live service, followed by Meridian in late 2020, Wanta said.
“Of course,” he added by email, “these are estimates, and we will have firmer time frames as we progress.”
This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 4:39 PM.