October 2023 - Indiana Cable and Broadband Association

Sparklight®, a leading broadband communications provider, today announced the launch of Wall-To-Wall WiFi, an advanced whole-home connectivity solution that provides fast, reliable and secure internet throughout the home.

Teaming up with eero, an Amazon company, Sparklight will offer the eero Pro6E to deliver comprehensive WiFi coverage throughout the home – regardless of size or shape, creating a wide-ranging signal that eliminates dead zones. Powered by the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology, Wall-To-Wall WiFi connects and transmits wirelessly up to 1 Gig, while eero’s patented TrueMesh technology learns the layout of a network to intelligently route traffic and help optimize a customer’s WiFi.

Every eero device comes with encryption and security protocols, and ongoing security updates to help protect against the latest threats. In addition, eero Secure enhances your eero with services to help keep your connected devices safe and secure with advanced parental control features, active threat protection, and ad blocking. An eero Plus option will be available to customers, providing an additional layer of advanced online security with eero Dynamic DNS, licenses for 1Password, Malwarebytes, and encrypt.me VPN, and more.

“Wall-To-Wall WiFi will give our customers an exceptional whole-home internet connectivity experience, delivering faster speeds, reliable coverage and advanced online security that allows for safe and fast browsing, streaming, gaming and social networking,” said Ken Johnson, Cable One Chief Technology and Digital Officer.

The company’s new Wall-To-Wall WiFi is managed through a convenient and easy-to-use app, which enables customers to view and manage their network – from anywhere, at any time.

“Residential WiFi needs are constantly growing as customers continue to work, learn and access entertainment using multiple devices in their homes,” Johnson said. “With the capacity to support more than 100 connected devices simultaneously, Wall-To-Wall WiFi meets those ever-changing needs, giving our customers a superior internet experience they can trust and rely on.”

Sparklight, part of the Cable One family of brands, continues to invest in bringing fast and reliable internet to the communities it serves. Over the past three years, the company has invested more than $1 billion across its footprint in network upgrades and enhancements to stay ahead of customer demand for increased speed and data and to lay the groundwork to launch speeds as fast as 10 Gigabits (10G) and beyond. With the launch of eero and the company’s roadmap to next gen DOCSIS 4.0 underway, Sparklight is looking forward to delivering speed 10 times faster than today’s networks – transforming the customer experience, creating new possibilities for smart cities, connected homes, virtual and augmented reality and business.

More information about Wall-To-Wall WiFi can be found by visiting www.sparklight.com/wall-to-wall-wifi.

Source: Sparklight

Comcast announced today that it has proactively connected its fiber-rich network to multiple mall properties across the company’s Greater Chicago Region in Illinois and Indiana, including:

Southlake Mall, Merrillville, IN

Mall traffic is experiencing a resurgence. Some malls are experiencing a shift in tenants, while others are transforming from traditional retail destinations into anchor communities that include everything from entertainment venues, medical offices, service businesses, and public gathering spaces to office facilities and even residential buildings – in addition to retail. As a result, in many instances, the redevelopment is occurring both inside and outside mall structures and spilling onto the mall property.

With Comcast’s network in place, the company can deliver Internet speeds up to 100 Gbps to businesses and residential speeds faster than a Gigabit, along with its full suite of Comcast Business and Xfinity residential services, to mall properties.

“At the very least, the mix of stores inside malls is changing. On the other end of the spectrum, some malls are planning or are even in the process of transforming themselves,” said Sean McCarthy, Comcast’s Regional Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Initiatives. “State-of-the-art Internet connectivity and technology are playing a major role in almost all aspects of these changes. You really can’t have one without the other.”

With such a wide variety of retail, commercial, residential and public uses, this new iteration of malls requires powerful Internet connectivity and technology. Examples of how technology can be employed in transformed malls include:

Retail stores process online orders for in-store and curbside pickup and employ virtual in-store try-on technology.
Medical offices access patient medical records and exchange large imaging files.
Entertainment venues book and manage reservations for large numbers of patrons.
Malls need powerful websites and to connect to app platforms that have real-time information about all the different tenants, services and events occurring onsite.
- Interactive maps use augmented reality and track and communicate with visitors onsite.
- Smart displays and digital directories help visitors locate businesses, provide schedules and take advantage of amenities onsite.
With residential buildings creating a built-in market onsite, businesses in the mall interact with residents, and vice versa, from booking restaurant and concert reservations to making medical appointments.
Residents interact online or via app with building management, access building amenities, pay rent and even track packages that arrive.

Malls contribute to the economy. Technology contributes to malls.

Malls are big businesses, major economic drivers and job creators. Malls attract visitors from local and surrounding communities, which, in turn, increases tax revenue. With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping shoppers at home and the rise of online shopping, mall traffic fell. However, a turnaround is underway. In fact, in 2022, mall sales increased by more than 11% to nearly $819 billion, according to The State of the American Mall, a report from Coresight Research. According to Gitnux Market Data, malls with a greater portion of non-retail tenants, such as restaurants, gyms and experience-oriented businesses, tend to attract more foot traffic.

For more information about the role of connectivity and technology in the next generation of malls and shopping centers, send an email to economic_development@comcast.com.

Source: Comcast