Comporium Upgrades Broadband Network across Transylvania County
BREVARD, N.C. – Transylvania County broadband customers with Comporium now can get download speeds up to 35x faster. Any address that is served by the company’s TV system can now get up to 400 Mbps Internet download speeds and higher speeds are planned.
The first phase of a three-year project to upgrade Comporium’s internet infrastructure was completed in October for the majority of Transylvania County. This project upgraded the TV system to a full two-way, 1-GHz service allowing for significantly faster cable modem internet speeds. Compared to the older DSL system with speeds of 7 Mbps to 11 Mbps, cable modem service is a leap forward, far surpassing what many rural customers are used to.
“These upgrades reinvent the internet experience for most of our customers,” stated Frank Porter, general manager and city executive for Comporium’s Brevard operations. “They also show our commitment to Transylvania County and its citizens. In fact, during the past 9 years Comporium has increased internet speeds for the majority of its customers by over 800%.”
There are over 15,000 homes in phase one of the upgraded TV service area capable of receiving the new cable modem service. Nearly 8,000 DSL customers have been converted to the new cable modem, a process that is free of charge. Comporium has upgraded service in Rosman, then east to Brevard and continuing to the Henderson County line on both sides of Highway 280, Highway 64 and Crab Creek. All of Cedar Mountain and Connestee Falls currently served by Comporium’s TV system have been upgraded.
Upgrades in areas covered by Comporium’s TV system west of Rosman are scheduled to start in 2018. The upgrades include replacement of older distribution lines, replacement of coax drops to the home if needed, upgraded electronics, upgraded fiber transport, and new distribution centers. The Toxaway-Burlingame corridor upgrade should take 12 to 18 months after the project gets underway. There are over 2,500 service addresses in this service area with over 100 miles of cable to upgrade.
Comporium employs more than seventy full-time people in Transylvania County and has been utilizing an additional 15-20 contractors to assist in the upgrades. These employees and contractors all are fully dedicated to the project, as it impacts not just Comporium, but the community as whole.
The best way to know if you are eligible for an upgrade is to call Comporium’s business office at 828-884-9011. If you are eligible, you can make an appointment to upgrade your existing DSL service or to add the new Cable Modem service. The current DSL service will be phased out in all upgraded cable modem areas.
About Comporium
Comporium, Inc., headquartered in Rock Hill, S.C., is a diversified, privately-held communications company that employs nearly 1,200 people and provides broadband, TV, voice, wireless, smart home systems and advertising services throughout the Carolinas. Comporium’s ventures include companies providing fiber transport and business solutions, data storage and managed services, smart devices and connected home/car services, and digital signage. For more information, please visit www.comporium.com.