1400 W. Washington St., Ste. 108, Sequim
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On July 26 at its Sequim office, officials from Wave Broadband announced the launch of its new Gig Speed Internet product before a small group of residents, Mayor Dennis Smith and City Manager Charlie Bush, also naming Sequim a “Gig City.”
According to a press release, all residential subscribers in the Sequim and Port Angeles areas are now able to have Internet service (for a fee) that is “four times faster than what previously had been available, delivering the capability of download speeds of up to 1,000 Megabits per second and providing the bandwidth needed to readily accommodate households with multiple users/devices and simultaneously downloading and streaming.”
Emily Moore, director of Wave’s retail sales in Washington, Oregon and California, said, “It’s an exciting day that Sequim’s one of Washington’s first gigabit cities. It’s groundbreaking. You can download up to 1,000 Megabits per second simultaneously with more reliable speeds. Three to five years ago, 10 Megabits was streaking fast but not that’s not sufficient to support today’s needs. Businesses can be more efficient, working faster and smarter, with video conferencing, especially.”
Moore noted that gig service for businesses will be launched this fall. She added that since a soft launch in June, “We’ve had a great response already. You don’t have to live in a big city to have gig Internet speed — and you can enjoy your rural life, too.”
Several in attendance wanted to know Sequim’s coverage area and when Wave Internet service would be available on Bell Hill.
Jake Crabtree, technical operations manager for the Washington State Region/West out of Port Angeles, said the area presently is east from Old Schoolhouse Road and west to the junction of U.S. Highway 101 and State Route 112, north to the strait and south to the southern foothills.
“Bell Hill is on our radar and we’re looking at building up in that area,” Crabtree said. When asked why the company couldn’t establish a Wi-Fi or wireless connection, Crabtree explained that Wave is a fiber services company and Wi-Fi is not within the scope of its business.
Wave worked with both the cities of Sequim and Port Angeles to facilitate building out the infrastructure to support gig speeds.
Moore presented Smith with a plaque to commemorate Sequim as a “Gig City.”
In an earlier interview, Smith said, “I’m very pleased to see Gig Speed Internet available to our region of the Olympic Peninsula. Gigabit speed over fiber networks like Wave’s gives area residents the opportunity for fast Internet access, while potentially increasing the value of homes. And having these speeds available for businesses in our community can help them better meet their company objectives. With this service now in place, our area can benefit from high speed access that few cities can match.”
Wave Broadband was established in 2003 and came to Sequim in 2004. It is based in Kirkland and is a gigabit broadband and commercial fiber services company, with more than 7,000 miles of metro fiber providing true high-speed Internet service, voice, video, advanced business connectivity solutions and a variety of related products and options for business and residential customers, according to a press release.
For questions regarding the residential service, visit gowave.com/giglaunching or call 1-866-928-3123. Wave business customers can get more information at http://wavebusiness.com.
