Suddenlink Communications
Encyclopedia
Suddenlink Communications, formerly Cebridge Connections, is a top-10 cable broadband services provider in the United States with approximately 1.4 million subscribers. Suddenlink operates in 18 states in primarily medium-sized communities. With its corporate headquarters in St. Louis, MO
, Suddenlink is part of Cequel Communications, LLC. Cequel III, a separate privately-owned company, was founded in January 2002 by Jerry Kent, Howard Wood, and Dan Bergstein as an investment and management firm that focuses on development of cable and telecommunications companies. Cequel III maintains a contract with Suddenlink for the provision of certain management services.
The company was re-named Cebridge Connections and continued to acquire new cable companies and new cable systems. As Cebridge, the company acquired cable systems previously owned by Alliance, Tele-Media, Thompson and USA Media. In 2006, Cebridge became Suddenlink Communications after the deals to acquire cable systems from Cox Communications
and Charter Communications
closed.
Between 2006 and 2007, the company constructed a national backbone unique to cable operators of Suddenlink’s size. This backbone was engineered to support inter-office voice and data communications; customer call traffic; a centralized softswitch for rapid phone deployment; and centralized video-on-demand servers and content management tools. Subsequently, this backbone aided the company's 12- to 15-month expansion of a competitive phone service to new areas. As a result, by August 2009, the company counted more than 250,000 active phone lines serving residential and business customers, up from 30,000 in early 2007.
The company has also undertaken regional projects, such as its construction in West Texas of a 957 miles (1,540.1 km) fiber ring connecting its major markets in that part of the country, including Amarillo, Abilene, Midland, Lubbock, and San Angelo. This project supported the regional deployment of advanced services, including faster Internet download and upload speeds and video on demand.
On Nov. 5, 2009, Suddenlink announced the completion of a $600 million debt offering. Suddenlink said that offering and a related bank amendment would facilitate an approximately $350 million capital investment plan through 2012, above and beyond the company’s traditional capital spending levels. According to company officials, this investment plan, dubbed “Project Imagine,” was primarily designed to increase the number of high-definition (HD) channels to 90 on average, with the capability to offer up to 200; and expand the general availability of HD service, video-on-demand, and DOCSIS 3.0 technology to substantially all Suddenlink customers. (DOCSIS 3.0 technology enables Internet speeds of up to 20, 50, and 100 megabits per second or faster.) By September 30, 2011, Project Imagine investments had increased the average number of high-definition (HD) TV channels from 24 to 72, with several lineups featuring 90 or more; made video on demand (VOD) service available to more than 82 percent of customers and DOCSIS 3.0 technology available to 84 percent of customers. Project Imagine investments will continue through 2012.
In March 2010 Suddenlink began offering residential customers in several, suburban-Austin communities High Speed Internet MAX 107.0 service, featuring a download speed up to 107 megabits per second (Mbps) and an upload speed up to 5 Mbps. Cable Digital News confirmed the service was, at that time, “the fastest cable wideband tier in the U.S., in terms of downstream speeds.” In the following months, MAX 107.0 was launched in the Tyler, Texas, area and several W. Va. communities.
In July 2010, the company jointly announced with the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) that all broadband technicians and installers with Suddenlink for at least 90 days had attained one or more professional certifications from SCTE. Suddenlink was the first major cable operator to reach this milestone.
That same month, Suddenlink and TiVo announced a collaboration in which Suddenlink would distribute co-branded TiVo Premiere DVRs. The TiVo Premiere combines Suddenlink’s service with TiVo's best-in-class user interface to offer access to thousands of hours of entertainment choices, including content from Suddenlink’s video-on-demand (VOD) library and the Web, all accessible through TiVo's advanced search and discovery features. In December 2010, the co-branded DVRs launched in Lubbock and Midland, Texas. In early 2011, the devices were rolled out in 5 more Texas cities and Clovis, N.M.
In April 2011, Suddenlink began offering HBO GO® and MAX GO®, authenticated online video destinations for HBO and Cinemax programming. In June, the company launched Suddenlink2GO, an online video service that allows subscribers to access select TV, movie and shorter video content with a single interface, from any computer with a high-speed Internet connection. Suddenlink2GO was developed in partnership with Synacor.
The following month, July 2011, Suddenlink was one of six partner companies mentioned in CNN’s announcement about live-streaming CNN and HLN on iPhones, iPads, and iPods. Also in July, the TiVo App for iPad and iPhone, which allows customers to view TV programming, schedule program recordings, and post Facebook and Twitter updates, was made available to those using TiVo Premiere DVRs from Suddenlink.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Suddenlink is part of Cequel Communications, LLC. Cequel III, a separate privately-owned company, was founded in January 2002 by Jerry Kent, Howard Wood, and Dan Bergstein as an investment and management firm that focuses on development of cable and telecommunications companies. Cequel III maintains a contract with Suddenlink for the provision of certain management services.
History
Suddenlink traces its origins to February 2003, when its senior management team assumed responsibility for the post-bankruptcy assets of Classic Communications, which served remote suburban areas, smaller towns, and rural communities. At the time Classic was the twelfth largest MSO with 325,000 customers in nine states (Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Colorado, and Ohio). Classic’s customers had been largely deprived of advanced services like high-speed Internet access. The new management team claims to have invested tens of millions of dollars to upgrade Classic systems and improve the quality and quantity of services they offered.The company was re-named Cebridge Connections and continued to acquire new cable companies and new cable systems. As Cebridge, the company acquired cable systems previously owned by Alliance, Tele-Media, Thompson and USA Media. In 2006, Cebridge became Suddenlink Communications after the deals to acquire cable systems from Cox Communications
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
and Charter Communications
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
closed.
Between 2006 and 2007, the company constructed a national backbone unique to cable operators of Suddenlink’s size. This backbone was engineered to support inter-office voice and data communications; customer call traffic; a centralized softswitch for rapid phone deployment; and centralized video-on-demand servers and content management tools. Subsequently, this backbone aided the company's 12- to 15-month expansion of a competitive phone service to new areas. As a result, by August 2009, the company counted more than 250,000 active phone lines serving residential and business customers, up from 30,000 in early 2007.
The company has also undertaken regional projects, such as its construction in West Texas of a 957 miles (1,540.1 km) fiber ring connecting its major markets in that part of the country, including Amarillo, Abilene, Midland, Lubbock, and San Angelo. This project supported the regional deployment of advanced services, including faster Internet download and upload speeds and video on demand.
On Nov. 5, 2009, Suddenlink announced the completion of a $600 million debt offering. Suddenlink said that offering and a related bank amendment would facilitate an approximately $350 million capital investment plan through 2012, above and beyond the company’s traditional capital spending levels. According to company officials, this investment plan, dubbed “Project Imagine,” was primarily designed to increase the number of high-definition (HD) channels to 90 on average, with the capability to offer up to 200; and expand the general availability of HD service, video-on-demand, and DOCSIS 3.0 technology to substantially all Suddenlink customers. (DOCSIS 3.0 technology enables Internet speeds of up to 20, 50, and 100 megabits per second or faster.) By September 30, 2011, Project Imagine investments had increased the average number of high-definition (HD) TV channels from 24 to 72, with several lineups featuring 90 or more; made video on demand (VOD) service available to more than 82 percent of customers and DOCSIS 3.0 technology available to 84 percent of customers. Project Imagine investments will continue through 2012.
In March 2010 Suddenlink began offering residential customers in several, suburban-Austin communities High Speed Internet MAX 107.0 service, featuring a download speed up to 107 megabits per second (Mbps) and an upload speed up to 5 Mbps. Cable Digital News confirmed the service was, at that time, “the fastest cable wideband tier in the U.S., in terms of downstream speeds.” In the following months, MAX 107.0 was launched in the Tyler, Texas, area and several W. Va. communities.
In July 2010, the company jointly announced with the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) that all broadband technicians and installers with Suddenlink for at least 90 days had attained one or more professional certifications from SCTE. Suddenlink was the first major cable operator to reach this milestone.
That same month, Suddenlink and TiVo announced a collaboration in which Suddenlink would distribute co-branded TiVo Premiere DVRs. The TiVo Premiere combines Suddenlink’s service with TiVo's best-in-class user interface to offer access to thousands of hours of entertainment choices, including content from Suddenlink’s video-on-demand (VOD) library and the Web, all accessible through TiVo's advanced search and discovery features. In December 2010, the co-branded DVRs launched in Lubbock and Midland, Texas. In early 2011, the devices were rolled out in 5 more Texas cities and Clovis, N.M.
In April 2011, Suddenlink began offering HBO GO® and MAX GO®, authenticated online video destinations for HBO and Cinemax programming. In June, the company launched Suddenlink2GO, an online video service that allows subscribers to access select TV, movie and shorter video content with a single interface, from any computer with a high-speed Internet connection. Suddenlink2GO was developed in partnership with Synacor.
The following month, July 2011, Suddenlink was one of six partner companies mentioned in CNN’s announcement about live-streaming CNN and HLN on iPhones, iPads, and iPods. Also in July, the TiVo App for iPad and iPhone, which allows customers to view TV programming, schedule program recordings, and post Facebook and Twitter updates, was made available to those using TiVo Premiere DVRs from Suddenlink.
Acquisitions
- February 12, 2003 Cequel III invests in Classic Communications, Inc.ClassicommClassicomm was a small cable provider in Canada serving communities in southern York Region from its offices in Richmond Hill, Ontario.Classicomm, or Classic Communications Ltd, was founded in the late 1960s by John O. Graham and Stewart H...
- June 30, 2003 - Cequel III acquires cable systems from Shaw Communications, Inc.Shaw CommunicationsShaw Communications is Canada's largest telecommunications company that provides telephone, Canada's fastest Internet and television services as well as broadcasting and soon Wifi. Shaw is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta...
- January 26, 2004 - Cequel III acquires cable systems from Alliance Communications PartnersAlliance CommunicationsAlliance Communications was a former Canadian-based movie distribution company. Based in Toronto, Ontario the company was formed in 1984 by Stephen Roth, Denis Heroux, John Kemeny, Robert Lantos and Jay Firestone. It acquired a Montreal-based Francophone production company, Vivafilm, in 1990. In...
. - April 5, 2004 - Cequel III acquires cable systems from Thompson Cablevision.
- June 3, 2004 - Acquires cable systems from Tele-Media.
- August 19, 2004 Cebridge acquired cable systems from USA Media.
- May 5, 2006 - Acquires cable systems from Cox CommunicationsCox CommunicationsCox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
. - July 3, 2006 - Acquires cable systems from Charter CommunicationsCharter CommunicationsCharter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
. - August 1, 2010 - Acquired a cable system from Windjammer Cable.
- April 1, 2011 - Acquired cable systems from NPG.