Suddenlink bumps Internet speeds in Nixa, Ozark

Last edited at 2 p.m. Dec. 18, 2014.

Suddenlink officials yesterday said new high-speed Internet services were available in Nixa and Ozark under the first phase of its nearly $250 million Operation GigaSpeed plan.

The St. Louis-based cable provider increased residential download speeds up to 250 megabits per second and expanded upload speeds up to 25 Mbps, according to a Suddenlink news release. Residents already had access to download speeds up to 50 Mbps, and company officials are calling it the first step toward 1 gigabit service.

Suddenlink’s move follows a broadband feasibility study in Nixa through London-based network developer SiFi Networks. City officials in July committed to research the potential of bringing 1 gigabit speeds through fiber network infrastructure, an estimated $28 million build-out.

According to a presentation for Nixa city officials dated Aug. 28, 63 percent of residential respondents expressed some dissatisfaction with their current Internet provider and 66 percent said they’d be likely to buy a 100 megabit plan at $60 per month.

In the presentation, SiFi proposed $27 million in capital expenditures to build the city’s gigabit fiber network with open access to private sector providers. In the 25-year proposal, the city would lease the network from SiFi and collect a portion of Internet revenue through agreements with providers. At the end of the agreement period, the city would own the network assets.

A gigabit is roughly 100 times faster than the average broadband service.

Suddenlink, which operates a retail store in Ozark, plans to invest in Internet upgrades the next three years through Operation GigaSpeed.

"This is a nationwide project," said Suddenlink spokesman Gene Regan. "I am familiar with the discussion in Nixa. Our speed upgrades on the way to a 1 gigabit service are unrelated to prior discussion the city has had about fiber networks. We already have an advanced, fiber-rich network and are focusing our investments in that network to enable these and future speeds."

According to the news release, nearly half of Suddenlink's planned 1 gigabit launches are expected to be completed next year and most of the remainder in 2016. Pricing for the news services in Ozark and Nixa was not immediately available.