Get to Know Windstream

For those who haven’t heard of Windstream yet, consider this your first introduction. As they expand, and help more people, we'll hear a lot more.

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For those who haven’t heard of Windstream yet, consider this your first introduction. If this were a movie, there’d be this cool intro where the CEO of Windstream would walk in and start talking about…something important. Or, if the movie was created and produced for younger ages, there would be a song and dance number. As a comedy, Windstream would be portrayed as the hardworking company that was getting no love in the media. What’s important to understand is that Windstream is expanding and they’re doing so at a consistent rate. Whether they ever make their story into a movie is not the point. Would make for an interesting movie though.

By the Numbers

Windstream currently has a presence in all fifty states.

Of the 42,000 zip codes in the United States, you can find Windstream in 14,854 of them. If my math is correct, that’s 35% of the country. That’s not bad. The 35% of the country that can get Windstream service, there’s a range of options available. Depending on the area, customers can choose DSL, cable, fiber, and fixed wireless. Check with the best Windstream deals to find out what’s available in your area. Their top download speeds, for fiber, is 1 gigabit. That’s their fastest. Unfortunately, their fiber coverage is only 20% of their total areas served. But it’s not all bad, there are other services that you can get to make it worth your while. Windstream is also one of the top providers when it comes to downloading times during peak hours. Netflix has this handy speed index that calculates every provider and how well they handle downloads during peak hours. These peak hours are usually 5-10 pm every night. The average for their DSL connections over the last year is 3.17 Mbps during peak hours. This makes them one of the more reliable ISPs out there. That reputation for reliability has also helped them as they seek to expand. Within the last two years, they’ve merged with Earthlink and acquired Broadview Networks. Through these expansions, they’ve been able to utilize and incorporate these networks into their unique branding.

What Have They Been Up To?

Like any good company, Windstream has been busy.

Veterans and Military

In August, they were named ranked among the best companies for veterans. US Veteran’s Magazine listed Windstream on their Best of the Best Top Veteran-Friendly Companies. Windstream stood out among the other 350 companies that participated. The Military Friendly Designation was also bestowed on Windstream by VIQTORY with help from the Military Friendly Advisory Council. They were ranked eighth for the 2019 fiscal year.

Fixed Wireless

Windstream has also been working to expand their fixed wireless capabilities. Unlike satellite, which can be affected by weather, fixed wireless uses line-of-sight. A receiver, installed on the home or structure, will connect with the transmitter on a tower or a tall structure. So long as the line-of-sight is unimpeded, customers can get reliable internet. This method is far more cost-effective for rural customers, and for ISP startups. Windstream utilized this technology to connect Poteau, OK. Located in Eastern Oklahoma, Poteau is like any other city; they need reliable internet to connect to the larger world. Given Poteau’s rural location, however, deploying fixed broadband to the area has been economically challenging. Windstream took on that challenge and rolled out fixed wireless technology to the area. So far, the first phase allows 900 residents to get fixed wireless installed. When the entire project is completed, about 8,800 residents will have access to fixed wireless. As fixed wireless technology expands, residents who once had their options severely limited, if any at all, now have the same opportunities as those in more urban areas. And Windstream is part of realizing that dream.

Their Biggest News

While Windstream is helping to connect rural areas, as well as residential customers, they’re all helping small businesses. To do this, they created OfficeSuite UC. OfficeSuite provides a means for small to medium-sized businesses to run their operations through the cloud. Like most UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service), OfficeSuite provides a means for small business to send messages, collaborate, and meet, among other things, all through cloud connectivity. What’s set OfficeSuite apart is the fact they’ve grown by 20% year-over-year. While this may not sound terribly exciting to most people, when you stop to think about it, it’s quite mind-boggling.

What this Means for Windstream

Winning awards, accolades, and exceeding sales goals are all signs of healthy company growth. But it’s nothing new. What really matters is what Windstream is doing. And more important than that, what is Windstream working towards? Let’s see... Windstream is on target to expand and help more and more customers connect to the internet. With this as their main goal, Windstream is working hard to make this a reality. The fact that they’re winning awards and hitting sales goals is just icing on the cake. These metrics are really pointing to how many new customers they’re helping, and how they’re running their business. And it’s working. Windstream, though considered “small” is doing more than what the bigger companies are; they’re utilizing different technology and targeting unique markets. They’re doing things differently. While the bigger companies are still around, they’re expanding into more and more markets. If AT&T’s purchase of Time-Warner isn’t contested, then AT&T’s focus will shift. They’ll begin to expand HBO and other entertainment properties held by Time-Warner. Providing more and more entertainment options seems to be their top priority, rather than reaching more and more customers. Windstream is moving up into the void created by such expansion. While it probably won’t hurt AT&T too much, Windstream stands to gain a lot from AT&T’s lack of focus in this area. If this were a movie with a good scriptwriter, there’d be some intriguing scenes written about this expansion. Instead of a boardroom, there’d likely be shots of exec’s walking around, talking with sharp wit about what to do now that AT&T is distracted. That is if this were a movie.

Try out Windstream

I know I keep bringing up the movie analogy, but what can I say? I watch a lot of movies. Out in the real-world Windstream is a solid company with more than just internet to offer. They have OfficeSuite. They’re also actively utilizing fixed wireless and working with veterans and the military. It wouldn’t be so surprising to see them overtake one of the “bigger” names soon.

Even if that doesn’t happen, Windstream is one of the many ISPs available across the United States. To find if they have a presence in your area, input your zip code through Bundle Your Internet. This way you’ll see the deals, and who’s providing them, in your area. And then you can stream any movie, or show, written by Aaron Sorkin that involves lots of walking and dialogue. One can easily get the impression that all company executives talk this way. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. The truth is that despite no snappy dialogue, Windstream is doing above-average work and is worth taking a lot into.

On The Download