Wave
Wave is a U.S. regional broadband ISP offering fiber-powered internet, mobile, TV, and home phone services to residential and business customers across multiple states, operating as part of the Astound Broadband platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersKirkland, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Wave does
Wave is a U.S. regional broadband and telecommunications provider, founded in 2003 and headquartered in Kirkland, Washington. The company delivers fiber-powered internet, video, mobile, and home phone services to residential customers and, via its Astound Business Solutions unit, to small, mid-size, and enterprise commercial customers. Its service footprint spans multiple states including Washington, Oregon, California, Texas, and Illinois, and the company now markets under the Astound brand with Wave as a legacy regional identity.
Wave's core technology stack is built around owned and operated fiber and coaxial last-mile infrastructure, supplemented by carrier-grade WiFi hardware — most recently WiFi 7 (eero Max 7) routers and proprietary FastMesh whole-home WiFi — to deliver gigabit-class residential connectivity. Video services are delivered through a DIRECTV partnership and a TiVo-powered Astound TV platform, while mobile service is offered as a bundle on top of Astound Internet, supported by a self-service mobile shop and BYOD flows.
The business is a subscription-based recurring revenue model with monthly billing, autopay/ACH discounts, a Price-for-Life internet guarantee, and introductory promotions (e.g., $40/month gig plan with a $200 gift card). Distribution combines direct phone sales, a self-service website with serviceability check and plan builder, an Authorized Partner reseller program, and a dedicated business sales team. Cumulative disclosed funding exceeds $1.3 billion (notably a 2012 $1.05B round from GI Partners and Oak Hill Capital, plus 2015 and 2016 debt and equity rounds from Deutsche Bank, Wells Fargo, and other investors), and the company has executed at least nine acquisitions between 2013 and 2021, including Black Rock Cable, Layer42 Networks, CoastCom, and Astound Business Solutions, to consolidate regional network assets and expand into commercial services.
Wave firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wave
- Website
- https://wavebroadband.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Wave is a U.S. regional broadband ISP offering fiber-powered internet, mobile, TV, and home phone services to residential and business customers across multiple states, operating as part of the Astound Broadband platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wave industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Telecommunications / Broadband Internet Services
- NAICS
- Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711), Telecommunications (517)
- SIC
- Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841), Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Services-Telephone Interconnect Systems (7385)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cable MSOs (Hybrid Fiber-Coax) (MPABAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cable Internet ISPs (HFC Retail Providers) (HDAIADAF), Residential/Broadband ISPs (Consumer Internet) (HDAIADAA), Carrier Ethernet & Wavelength Wholesale (E-Line/E-LAN, OTN, lambda) (HDAIAEAB), Cable Modems & eMTA (DOCSIS) (HDAFAIAC)
Keywords
Where Wave is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kirkland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Wave business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Gig WiFi service with eero Max 7 router |
| Subscription | Monthly | Internet First Program - low-income qualifying households |
| Subscription | Monthly | Better WiFi price lock |
| Freemium | Monthly | Unlimited Mobile with Internet bundle |
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Wave product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wave provides fiber-powered broadband internet, mobile, TV/streaming, home phone, and managed WiFi services to residential households across regional U.S. markets. It also sells dedicated business internet, enterprise connectivity, and wholesale telecom services to small, mid-size, and enterprise commercial customers. Services are delivered over owned fiber and coaxial infrastructure and packaged as no-contract monthly subscriptions with bundle, price-lock, and low-income program options.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Residential Internet Service
Companies that use Wave
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Wave technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Wave partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Wave competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cox Communications: Privately held US cable MSO delivering broadband, video, phone, and Cox Mobile. Comparable to Wave in offering a full quad-play over HFC plant with regional market concentration rather than national footprint.
- Cable One: Pure-play US cable broadband operator focused on smaller markets and rural/suburban geographies. Closely comparable business model to Wave as a non-urban cable ISP with residential and business connectivity services.
- Ziply Fiber: Fiber overbuilder operating across the Pacific Northwest, directly overlapping Wave's Kirkland/Washington base. A close regional head-to-head competitor delivering symmetric gig+ fiber where Wave's HFC plant competes.
- Frontier Communications: US fiber and copper wireline provider delivering broadband, voice, and video across many of the same regional markets Wave serves. Comparable as a fixed-line broadband competitor with overlapping geographies in the Pacific Northwest and Texas.
- TDS Telecom: Regional US wireline operator providing fiber and cable broadband, video, and voice in small and mid-sized markets. Comparable to Wave as a regional broadband operator with similar target customer segments and infrastructure mix.
- Mediacom Communications: US cable MSO focused on mid-sized markets in the Midwest and Southeast. Closely comparable scale and operating profile to Wave as a regional, non-urban cable broadband and video provider.
- Astound Broadband: Regional cable/broadband operator providing internet, mobile, TV (DIRECTV/TiVo), and phone across multiple US states. Sources indicate Wave is operationally merged with or aligned to Astound, making it the closest direct peer and likely sister brand.
Broad incumbents
- AT&T: National wireline and wireless carrier with aggressive AT&T Fiber overbuild and fixed-wireless broadband. Overlaps with Wave as a competing broadband ISP in overlapping geographies, with materially deeper capital and wireless spectrum.
- Charter Communications (Spectrum): Second-largest US cable MSO delivering Spectrum-branded broadband, video, voice, and Spectrum Mobile (MVNO). Directly comparable technology stack and customer segments to Wave, with materially larger geographic reach.
- Comcast (Xfinity): Largest US cable MSO offering broadband, video, mobile (via Verizon MVNO), and phone via Xfinity. Comparable to Wave as a cable operator with a quad-play stack, but at national scale and with owned content/programming assets.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Wave social profiles
Digital presenceWave financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wave leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Wave funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wave M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A9 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Wave
What does Wave do?
Wave provides fiber-powered broadband internet, mobile, TV/streaming, home phone, and managed WiFi services to residential households across regional U.S. markets. It also sells dedicated business internet, enterprise connectivity, and wholesale telecom services to small, mid-size, and enterprise commercial customers. Services are delivered over owned fiber and coaxial infrastructure and packaged as no-contract monthly subscriptions with bundle, price-lock, and low-income program options.
Is Wave a public or private company?
Wave is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Wave founded?
Wave was founded in 2003. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Wave based?
Wave is headquartered in Kirkland, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Wave's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cox Communications, Cable One, Ziply Fiber, Frontier Communications, TDS Telecom, Mediacom Communications and Astound Broadband. Broad incumbents are AT&T, Charter Communications (Spectrum) and Comcast (Xfinity).
Does Wave have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wave.
What industry is Wave in?
Wave's product category is Telecommunications / Broadband Internet Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABAGAA, Cable MSOs (Hybrid Fiber-Coax), with a secondary code of HDAIADAF, Cable Internet ISPs (HFC Retail Providers). Its NAICS code is 517111 and its SIC code is 4841.