Qwest sets new FTTN goals, maintains bundling focus

FierceTelecom

Sean Buckley

January 6, 2010

 

As Qwest continues to shift its mindset towards becoming more of a broadband services company, the telco has set the bar to bring Fiber to the Node (FTTN) services to half of its 14-state footprint.

Speaking at this week's Citigroup 20th Annual Global Entertainment, Media and Telecommunications Conference, CEO Ed Mueller provided an update on the progress the company has made in rolling out FTTN services in addition to what products customers are buying.  

Since it launched its FTTN service in 2007, Qwest reported that it has added about 1 million homes per year. In Q3 09, Qwest's FTTN network reached 3 million homes and Mueller said that he foresees that number scaling to about 6 million, or slightly more than 50 percent of total homes passed with fiber. "There's plenty of room for us," he said.

Qwest's FTTN and overall broadband drive continues to center on building service bundles. This bundled mentality incorporates not only its VDSL2+ 40 Mbps service, but also giving customers access to AT&T WiFi hotspots.

Wireless continues to be part of Qwest's bundling equation. Although Qwest does not have its own wireless network like AT&T and Verizon, the ILEC continues to provide wireless service through an agent agreement with Verizon Wireless. Keeping to that bundled mentality, Qwest is offering customers that sign up for the Verizon Wireless its One Number Service that allows them keep one common number and voice mail for both landline and wireless connections.