High-speed Internet hits Hamlin

HORIZON WEST  CenturyLink has announced that symmetrical broadband up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) will be available this month in Hamlin, Horizon West’s mixed-use town center developed by Boyd Development Corporation and Stratford Land.

Beyond that, CenturyLink officials say it is the only Central Florida communications provider to offer 1 Gbps service in the West Orange County market.

“We were the first communications provider to bring gigabit service to Central Florida in 2014, and we continue to look for opportunities to grow our gigabit footprint in these high-demand areas,” said Erik Genrich, CenturyLink vice president of operations for Central Florida. “We have thousands of homes and businesses already enabled with gigabit fiber, and we are proud to offer this next-generation technology to residential and small-business customers in Hamlin.”

Broadband services will be provided through CenturyLink’s fiber network, with access to some of the fastest upload and download Internet speeds currently available in the U.S, officials said.

CenturyLink first announced its 1 Gbps service launch for residential and business customers in Orange, Seminole, Lake, Sumter, Osceola and Marion counties in 2014. Company leaders said Hamlin residents already were able to take advantage of CenturyLink’s voice, video and data services via the company’s robust fiber network.

Speeds up to 1 Gbps — equivalent to 1,000 Mbps — allow users to stream high-definition video content with little or no delays and download movies, songs and TV shows in seconds, via CenturyLink fiber-to-the-premises technology. Hamlin customers who have multiple devices connected to one Internet connection in the home will still have more than enough capacity and speed to support other uses of broadband, such as online gaming and home automation systems, officials said.

“This advanced technology supports our goal to engage our community by providing great experiences, whether at home, in our town center and even while enjoying the many parks and trails throughout the development,” said Scott T. Boyd, president of Boyd Development Corporation. “CenturyLink’s gigabit Internet service will facilitate a wide variety of commercial, residential, mobile and wired applications that keep people connected to those who are important to them.”

Celebration Associates Technology, an Orlando-based real estate technology advisory firm, led efforts to incorporate CenturyLink’s 1 Gbps, fiber-to-the-home service into this technology initiative.

“Hamlin’s residents will be delighted by CenturyLink’s ultra-fast Internet speeds,” said Amy Westwood, Celebration Associates principal technology adviser. “More and more homebuyers are choosing where they live based on access to high-speed Internet service, and the Boyd Development/Stratford Land team recognized the importance of this technology early on.”

Hamlin customers will be able to purchase 1 Gbps service for $79.95 per month with a 12-month term commitment when bundled with additional qualifying CenturyLink services.

Contact Zak Kerr at [email protected].