Wave

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.

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

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

• Broadband internet services
• Telecommunications provider
• Cable television services
• Fiber optic networks
• Residential internet plans

Headquarters

HQ city

Kirkland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct 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

• Xx.com/wavetechsupport
• Facebookfacebook.com/132621406783338
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wave-broadband

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A9 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wave