BrightSpeed
Brightspeed is a privately held fiber broadband and telecommunications provider operating across 20 US states, serving residential, small and medium business, enterprise, public sector, and wholesale carrier customers with multi-gig XGS-PON fiber internet and a full suite of voice, networking, and managed services built on a 3M+ location fiber footprint inherited from Lumen's ILEC assets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersCharlotte, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What BrightSpeed does
Brightspeed is a privately held fiber broadband and telecommunications provider headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, created in 2022 when Apollo Global Management funds completed a $7.5 billion acquisition of Lumen Technologies' ILEC assets across 20 US states. The company operates as the nation's third-largest fiber broadband builder, deploying XGS-PON multi-gig passive optical network infrastructure (with active Calix 50G-PON trials) toward a footprint of more than 3 million fiber-enabled locations as of April 2026, with a stated target of 5 million+ locations. Brightspeed serves residential consumers (Fiber Internet up to 8 Gig with WiFi 7 gateways, Whole Home WiFi, EasyMove), small and medium businesses (Business Fiber 200 Mbps–5 Gig, Premium Fiber with 99.95% SLA, Biz WiFi, Voice+ with RingCentral), medium and enterprise customers (Dedicated Internet Access up to 10 Gbps, Ethernet, Private Line, Optical Wavelength), public sector and E-Rate-eligible entities (K-12, higher education, rural healthcare), and wholesale carrier customers via UOC/EASE platforms (Switched Access, Resale, UNE, SONET, Wavelength, E911, 8XX, LIDB, Colocation).
The company's core technology stack is built on XGS-PON fiber-to-the-premises, WiFi 7 customer premises equipment, and a 100 Gig fiber backbone, supported by more than 103,000 cumulative fiber miles and 17,600+ miles added in 2024 alone. Business operations are increasingly digitized via the Brightspeed Business Hub customer portal, with AI/ML referenced in the privacy notice for service improvement and permitting automation use cases under exploration.
Brightspeed's revenue model is multi-stream and largely recurring: residential fiber subscriptions at $24.99–$89.99+ per month tiers, SMB and enterprise subscription contracts (Business Fiber, Premium Fiber, DIA on multi-year terms with early termination fees), managed services (Biz WiFi, Voice+ via RingCentral partnership), wholesale recurring and usage-based carrier services (Switched Access, UNE, E911, 8XX, LIDB), legacy voice and POTS revenue carried over from Lumen ILEC assets, and colocation/licensing fees. Go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer online ordering and door-to-door community outreach with a formal Channel Partner Program, dedicated enterprise and wholesale sales teams (including named Channel Managers and a President of Enterprise and Wholesale), and event-driven engagement (Brightspeed Business Connections, INCOMPAS, NASCIO, EDUCAUSE, regional tradeshows).
BrightSpeed firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BrightSpeed
- Legal name
- Brightspeed Purchasing, LLC
- Website
- https://www.brightspeed.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Brightspeed is a privately held fiber broadband and telecommunications provider operating across 20 US states, serving residential, small and medium business, enterprise, public sector, and wholesale carrier customers with multi-gig XGS-PON fiber internet and a full suite of voice, networking, and managed services built on a 3M+ location fiber footprint inherited from Lumen's ILEC assets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BrightSpeed industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Telecommunications Services
- NAICS
- Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171)
- SIC
- Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Computer Communications Equipment (3576)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fiber ISPs (FTTH/FTTP Retail Providers) (HDAIADAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Business/Enterprise Fixed Connectivity Providers (SME/Enterprise Broadband) (HDAIABAI), Wholesale Wavelength, Spectrum & Dark Fiber Providers (IRU/Leases) (HDAIALAI)
Keywords
Where BrightSpeed is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Charlotte
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
BrightSpeed business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Residential Fiber Internet Subscription: Recurring monthly subscription revenue from Brightspeed Fiber Internet service to residential households across 20 states, with tiered multi-gig speed plans (including the 8 Gig flagship at $89.99/month fixed pricing).
- Small and Medium Business Fiber & Premium Fiber: Recurring monthly subscriptions for Brightspeed Business Fiber (200 Mbps through 5 Gig symmetrical) and Premium Fiber (with static IP, priority tech dispatch, 99.95% SLA-backed uptime) sold to SMB customers with two-year minimum terms available.
- Enterprise Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) and Networking: Recurring enterprise revenue from Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), Business Fiber, Premium Fiber, Ethernet, Private Line, and Wavelength services sold under multi-year contracts to medium/large enterprises and public sector customers.
- Wholesale Carrier Services: Wholesale recurring and usage-based revenue from Switched Access, Wholesale Local Voice, Resale, Local Interconnection Service (LIS), Unbundled Network Elements, SONET, Optical Wavelength, Ethernet, E911, 8XX Database Query, LIDB, and Dedicated Internet sold to Competitive Local Exchange Carriers.
- Legacy Voice and POTS Services: Recurring local voice, long-distance, international, toll free, ISDN PRI/BRI, and Centrex POTS revenue carried over from Lumen's ILEC assets, sold via both retail and wholesale (resale) channels.
- Brightspeed Business Voice+ with RingCentral: Recurring unified communications/voice revenue from Brightspeed Voice+ delivered in partnership with RingCentral to enterprise and small business customers.
- Managed WiFi (Brightspeed Biz WiFi): Recurring managed services revenue from Brightspeed Biz WiFi — all-in-one managed Wi-Fi for small businesses featuring four distinct networks, internet backup, and a customer portal/mobile app.
- Wholesale Colocation and 8XX/LIDB Data Services: Recurring and usage-based revenue from wholesale colocation at Brightspeed central offices, plus 8XX Database Query Service and LIDB (Line Information Database) data storage, validation, and query services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Brightspeed Fiber Internet 8 Gig with WiFi 7 |
| Subscription | Monthly | Brightspeed Business Fiber 5 Gig (with WiFi 7 router, 100 Gig fiber backbone) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Brightspeed Small Business Fiber (200 Mbps / 500 Mbps / 1 Gig / 2 Gig / 5 Gig symmetrical) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Brightspeed Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) for Enterprise and Public Sector |
| Subscription | Monthly | Brightspeed DSL (legacy copper) plans |
| Other | Monthly | Wholesale Carrier Services (Switched Access, LIS, SONET, Optical Wavelength, Ethernet, E911, 8XX, LIDB) |
Go-to-market motion5 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
BrightSpeed product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Brightspeed provides multi-gig fiber-to-the-premises broadband, voice, and managed networking services to residential, small business, enterprise, public sector, and wholesale carrier customers across a 20-state U.S. ILEC footprint. Its portfolio includes residential fiber internet (up to 8 Gig with WiFi 7), business fiber, Dedicated Internet Access, Ethernet, Optical Wavelength, SONET, wholesale carrier services, unified communications via RingCentral, and managed Wi-Fi. The company sells these through direct-to-consumer online channels, a dedicated enterprise/wholesale sales force, and a formal channel partner program.
Product overview
Brightspeed's offering is a multi-tier fiber broadband platform rather than a single unified product. The core is Brightspeed Fiber Internet, deployed across a 20-state footprint using XGS-PON (with Calix 50G-PON trials underway) to deliver residential multi-gig services (up to 8 Gig with WiFi 7) and an expanding portfolio of business and wholesale products. Around that core, Brightspeed bundles residential enhancements (Whole Home WiFi, EasyMove), small-business products (Business Fiber, Premium Fiber, Biz WiFi, Voice+ with RingCentral), enterprise-grade networking (Dedicated Internet Access, Ethernet, Private Line, Optical Wavelength, SONET, Traditional Transport, Traditional Voice), a full wholesale carrier-services suite (Switched Access, Local Interconnection, Resale, E911, LIDB, 8XX, Colocation, UNEs, Wavelengths), and government-relations/community programs (BEAD/ARPA-funded builds, Bright Future Tech Labs). The Brightspeed Business Hub serves as the unified customer portal across SMB and enterprise tiers, while wholesale customers operate through UOC, EASE, and CCDB systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Brightspeed Whole Home WiFi: Whole-home WiFi service launched in March 2026 for new fiber internet customers, including up to two WiFi extenders, professional installation, and WiFi 7 technology integration.
- Brightspeed EasyMove™
- Brightspeed Biz WiFi
- Brightspeed Business Fiber
- Brightspeed Premium Fiber
Products and services
- Brightspeed Fiber Internet (Residential)
- Brightspeed Business Fiber
- Brightspeed Dedicated Internet Access (DIA)
- Brightspeed Ethernet
- Brightspeed Private Line
- Brightspeed Optical Wavelength Service
- Brightspeed SONET Service
- Brightspeed Traditional Transport (DS1/DS3)
- Brightspeed Traditional Voice
- Brightspeed Wholesale Services
- Brightspeed Line Information Database (LIDB)
- Brightspeed 8XX Database Query Service
- Brightspeed Wholesale Colocation
- Brightspeed Unbundled Network Elements (UNE)
- Brightspeed Business Voice+ (with RingCentral)
- Brightspeed Biz WiFi
- Brightspeed Whole Home WiFi
Quantifiable outcome
- 3M+ fiber-enabled locations across 20 states (April 2026)
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use BrightSpeed
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
BrightSpeed technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability4 records
Feature6 records
BrightSpeed partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators10 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
BrightSpeed competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Frontier Communications: Direct fiber broadband peer operating across many of the same rural and suburban US markets (e.g., Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas) with overlapping residential fiber, enterprise DIA, and wholesale carrier service offerings — and recently agreed to be acquired by Verizon. Highly comparable product mix, ILEC heritage, and BEAD-grant-funded rural fiber strategy.
- Lumen Technologies: Former parent of the ILEC assets Brightspeed acquired for $7.5B in 2021-22. Continues to operate enterprise fiber, wavelength, Ethernet, and wholesale services nationally with overlapping product categories (DIA, Ethernet, SONET, Wavelength, UCaaS). Direct comparable for enterprise/wholesale revenue mix and wholesale carrier services.
- Windstream: Privately-held ILEC/CLEC with overlapping rural fiber footprint in the Midwest, Mid-South, and Texas markets, offering residential fiber, Kinetic SMB, enterprise, and wholesale services. Compares to Brightspeed in scale, ILEC heritage, and rural fiber build strategy.
- Consolidated Communications: Rural/suburban fiber broadband operator serving residential, SMB, enterprise, and wholesale customers across 20+ states with a comparable ILEC/rural fiber profile. Similar scale of fiber build, BEAD grant participation, and product portfolio overlap.
- Ziply Fiber: Fiber-to-the-home builder in the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana) with similar multi-gig (5 Gig) residential product, fiber build strategy from a regional ILEC base, and PE-sponsor backing (BC Partners). Comparable business model and product positioning despite regional non-overlap.
- TDS Telecom: Mid-sized ILEC/rural fiber operator with residential fiber, SMB, and enterprise services across more than 30 states — including multiple states that overlap with Brightspeed's 20-state footprint. Comparable fiber build cadence, BEAD participation, and rural/suburban customer base.
Broad incumbents
- AT&T: Largest US fiber broadband builder with multi-state fiber expansion, AT&T Fiber, enterprise DIA, and wholesale services that overlap with Brightspeed's residential, SMB, and enterprise offerings. Has materially deeper capex, brand recognition, and customer base, making it both a competitive threat and a comparable scale benchmark.
- Verizon: Major national fiber incumbent with Fios, enterprise networking, and the recently-announced Frontier acquisition that will expand its rural fiber footprint. Overlaps with Brightspeed in enterprise DIA, Ethernet, and wholesale services, and competes for the same BEAD-funded rural opportunities.
- Comcast (Xfinity): Largest US cable broadband operator and a key residential/SMB competitor across Brightspeed's 20-state footprint. Overlap in residential broadband, SMB, and managed WiFi services; Brightspeed's former EVP Rui Costa previously led consumer products at Xfinity, reflecting the competitive overlap.
- Charter Communications: Second-largest US cable broadband operator with Spectrum-branded residential internet, SMB, and enterprise services overlapping substantially with Brightspeed's footprint. A cable incumbent competitor with deep brand recognition and ongoing DOCSIS 4.0 upgrades.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BrightSpeed social profiles
Digital presenceBrightSpeed compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
BrightSpeed financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BrightSpeed leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
BrightSpeed subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
BrightSpeed funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds11 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BrightSpeed M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BrightSpeed
What does BrightSpeed do?
Brightspeed provides multi-gig fiber-to-the-premises broadband, voice, and managed networking services to residential, small business, enterprise, public sector, and wholesale carrier customers across a 20-state U.S. ILEC footprint. Its portfolio includes residential fiber internet (up to 8 Gig with WiFi 7), business fiber, Dedicated Internet Access, Ethernet, Optical Wavelength, SONET, wholesale carrier services, unified communications via RingCentral, and managed Wi-Fi. The company sells these through direct-to-consumer online channels, a dedicated enterprise/wholesale sales force, and a formal channel partner program.
Is BrightSpeed a public or private company?
BrightSpeed is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was BrightSpeed founded?
BrightSpeed was founded in 2021. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is BrightSpeed based?
BrightSpeed is headquartered in Charlotte, United States, in the North America region.
How does BrightSpeed make money?
Eight revenue lines are on record. Residential Fiber Internet Subscription is the primary driver. The others are small and Medium Business Fiber & Premium Fiber, enterprise Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) and Networking, wholesale Carrier Services, legacy Voice and POTS Services, brightspeed Business Voice+ with RingCentral, managed WiFi (Brightspeed Biz WiFi) and wholesale Colocation and 8XX/LIDB Data Services.
Who are BrightSpeed's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Frontier Communications, Lumen Technologies, Windstream, Consolidated Communications, Ziply Fiber and TDS Telecom. Broad incumbents are AT&T, Verizon, Comcast (Xfinity) and Charter Communications.
Does BrightSpeed have an API?
No public API is recorded for BrightSpeed.
What industry is BrightSpeed in?
BrightSpeed's product category is Telecommunications Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAIADAE, Fiber ISPs (FTTH/FTTP Retail Providers), with a secondary code of HDAIABAI, Business/Enterprise Fixed Connectivity Providers (SME/Enterprise Broadband). Its NAICS code is 517111 and its SIC code is 4813.