Archtop Fiber acquires Warwick Valley Telephone

On Jan. 3, fiber internet company Archtop Fiber completed the acquisition of Warwick Valley Telephone (WVT), a move that will increase access to fiber internet in the Warwick area.

According to Archop, the acquisition process began in May, when the company entered a stock purchase agreement with Momentum Telecom to acquire WVT. WVT has been a part of Momentum since 2016.

The new name of WVT will now be WVT Fiber “in homage to both the brand’s long heritage and its ongoing transformation,” according to Archtop’s announcement.

Archtop said it has begun construction and engineering, adding fiber cables onto WVT’s existing lines in preparation for the switch to its XGS-PON network for high-speed internet. Archtop says the new, 100 percent fiber system will provide upload and download speeds of “up to 10 Gbps” with initial speeds of 1 Gbps (also for both uploads and downloads).

Each WVT Fiber market will be connected in stages, with the first anticipated connections available later in the first quarter of the year, an Archtop representative explained. Maps of the rollout and community updates will be provided to those in the WVT Fiber markets.

WVT currently promotes high speed internet packages with speeds of 15, 30, 50 and 75 Mbps for a price range of $19.95 to $29.95 a month. WVT also provides fiber internet to select markets in speeds ranging from 250 Mbps to 1 Gbps for a price range of $34.95 to $79.95 a month. (Note that’s gigabits per second versus megabits per second - one Gbps is 1,000 times faster than one Mbps.)

The pricing per speed range for the eventual WVT Fiber equivalent packages are still being determined, according to the company.

“We were drawn to WVT for many reasons, not least of which was its reputation as a community institution committed to customer service. We are excited to expand on the strengths of both companies,” said Jeff DeMond, chairman and chief executive of Archtop Fiber. “This is an exciting time for WVT customers as we upgrade their service to fiber. Soon, they will enjoy access to the fastest Internet speeds imaginable along with the myriad opportunities that come with it. We’re proud to be able to deliver this long-awaited service to the community.”

On its website, WVT is telling customers not to expect any day-to-day changes in business operations. “Our dedicated team will remain in place to serve you, the company will remain as WVT, and there will be no changes to your products, services, or bill. Under the Archtop Fiber umbrella, WVT will continue to provide the personalized quality service you’ve come to expect from the local team that you know.”

Archtop Fiber, which is based in Kingston, N.Y., also recently acquired Hancock Telephone in Hancock, N.Y., and GTel, based in Germantown, N.Y., both family-owned regional operations.

WVT has provided telecommunication services to the greater Warwick community since 1902.