SureWest Fiber-to-the-Home Delivers More Bandwidth, Value and Customer Satisfaction

ROSEVILLE, Calif., July 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Overall satisfaction among fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) subscribers reached a new high in 2011, with 74 percent stating they are "very satisfied" in a new study conducted by the FTTH Council. This compares favorably to customer satisfaction for cable users at 54 percent and 51 percent for DSL. SureWest Communications (NASDAQ: SURW) has provided digital TV, high-speed Internet and telephone service over its FTTH networks in parts of the Sacramento and Kansas City regions since 2002.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20050908/SFSUREWESTLOGO)

Highlights of SureWest's fiber-based services include:

• Symmetrical Internet service at speeds of up to 50 MB per second
• Advanced Digital TV powered by Microsoft Mediaroom (Whole Home DVR, HDTV, instant channel change and live picture-in-picture guide)
• Digital phone (VoIP)
• Recognized as the first provider in the nation to deliver HDTV over an IP-based network

"Due to the superior performance and reliability of our fiber network, we consistently experience high satisfaction rates among our customers, and are not surprised by the results of the FTTH Council study," said Steve Oldham, SureWest president and chief executive officer. "We have been on the forefront of FTTH technology for a decade and this study further reinforces our strategy of growing the company by offering best-in-class broadband services.

"Fiber expansion is part of our long-term strategy and we are in the process of building 15,500 new fiber homes in Olathe, Kansas this year. The high customer satisfaction results speak to the demand we are currently seeing with the new homes, which have experienced early penetration rates as high as 30 percent in some areas. We will continue to drive technological advancements in our industry and expand our FTTH networks to fulfill our customer's ever-increasing need for additional bandwidth."

The FTTH Council studied more than 2,000 broadband subscribers, drawn randomly from a nationally balanced panel of more than 3.2 million consumers by the market research firm RVA LLC. "This year's survey shows that end-to-end fiber services are extending their lead over other broadband technologies in speed, value and customer satisfaction," said Dan O'Connell, President of the FTTH Council.

Through June 30, 2011, SureWest passed 140,000 marketable homes in Sacramento with fiber. Since acquiring its network in Kansas City in 2008, SureWest has equipped approximately 17,000 homes with FTTH technology and will pass an additional 10,000 in Olathe, Kansas in the second half of this year. In addition to its fiber networks, SureWest also delivers voice, video and data services over a copper network in its ILEC territory in California and a hybrid-fiber coaxial (HFC) network in Kansas City.  

About SureWest

SureWest Communications (www.surewest.com) is a leading integrated communications provider and the bandwidth leader in the markets it serves. Headquartered in Northern California for more than 95 years, SureWest offers bundled residential and commercial services in the greater Sacramento and Kansas City regions that include IP-based digital and high-definition television, high-speed Internet, Voice over IP, and local and long distance telephone. SureWest was the nation's first provider to launch residential HDTV over an IP network and offers one of the nation's fastest symmetrical Internet services with speeds of up to 50 Mbps in each direction on its fiber-to-the-home network.

Contacts:
Ron Rogers
Corporate Communications
916-746-3123
[email protected]

SOURCE SureWest Communications