Cincinnati Bell Energy
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Predecessor | Cincinnati Bell, Inc. |
| Founded | July 5, 1873 in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States |
| Headquarters | Cincinnati , United States |
Area served | Greater Cincinnati area, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio |
Key people | Leigh R. Fox (CEO), Joshua T. Duckworth (CFO) |
| Products | Landline telephone, fiber-optic Internet, IPTV, enterprise IT solutions, long distance calling |
| Owner | Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets |
Number of employees | 5,350 (2022) |
Altafiber, formerly known as Cincinnati Bell, Inc., is a telecommunications provider operating regionally with its headquarters located in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Through its subsidiaries, including Altafiber Home Phone and Hawaiian Telcom, the company delivers services such as landline telephone, fiber-optic Internet, and IPTV to customers in the Greater Cincinnati area and the state of Hawaii. Additional branches offer enterprise-level information technology solutions along with long distance calling capabilities.
Established in 1873 initially as a telegraph enterprise, Cincinnati Bell was once affiliated as a franchisee within the Bell System. The firm broadened its scope during the 1990s by entering the Internet access and mobile telephony markets but later divested its wireless segment in 2014 to concentrate on fiber-optic infrastructure and business services. Financially, the company recorded revenues of $1.599 billion in 2020, with operating income at $66.0 million and equity valued at $191.1 million.
In September 2021, ownership transferred to Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets, leading to a rebranding initiative in March 2022 under the name Altafiber. This transition aligned the company’s focus toward expanding fiber-optic networks and enterprise development. Leadership includes CEO Leigh R. Fox and CFO Joshua T. Duckworth, managing operations supported by roughly 5,350 employees across Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Hawaii.
History
The origins of Cincinnati Bell trace back to July 5, 1873, when Charles Kilgour founded the City and Suburban Telegraph Association. Beginning with telegraph services connecting residences and businesses, it secured exclusive Bell franchise rights within a 25-mile radius around Cincinnati by 1878, establishing Ohio’s first telephone exchange. The company acquired its inaugural telephone subscriber in 1877 and has since maintained an incumbent local exchange carrier presence across a consistent three-state area.
In 1903, it adopted the name Cincinnati and Suburban Bell Telephone Company and progressively upgraded its systems throughout the mid-1900s. By 1952, it transitioned from manual switchboards to dial telephone service and introduced electronic switching technology in 1968. The firm shortened its name to Cincinnati Bell in 1971.
Expanding beyond its original territory in May 1999, Cincinnati Bell entered 55 additional counties to compete with Ameritech as part of a strategic growth plan. During this period, it acquired IXC Communications and rebranded that division as Broadwing Communications to highlight its long-distance service offerings. However, intense market competition resulted in accumulating over $2 billion in debt. By 2004, Cincinnati Bell divested its long-distance operations and reverted to focusing on core telecommunications under its original name.
In 2002, the company exited the directory publishing business by selling those assets to Spectrum Equity, which established CBD Media—marking a pivotal change away from traditional directory services. The following year, Cincinnati Bell acquired former BellSouth payphone operations located in Kentucky.
Continuing growth through acquisitions included purchasing Toronto-based OnX Enterprise Solutions for $201 million in 2017 and Hawaiian Telcom Holdco, Inc. for $650 million in 2018. These transactions expanded its fiber-optic network to more than 14,000 route miles while broadening product offerings and fortifying its position within fiber communications.
Following acquisition by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets in September 2021—a move that enhanced capital resources and global reach—the company officially adopted the "Altafiber" brand on March 2, 2022. This rebranding underscores a strategic emphasis on fiber technology advancement while retaining Cincinnati Bell as its legal entity name.
Connection with the Bell System
Among the former Bell System entities, Cincinnati Bell and Southern New England Telephone (SNET) stood out due to AT&T Corporation's minority ownership stakes. As a result, neither company was designated as a Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC), and the regulatory limitations imposed on the Baby Bells did not apply to them. AT&T held a 32.6% ownership in Cincinnati Bell until 1984, at which point its shares were placed into a trust and subsequently sold.
From 2006 through 2022, Cincinnati Bell was the sole ex-Bell System firm still publicly operating under the "Bell" brand. In July 2006, the company phased out the last version of the Saul Bass-designed Bell logo from most corporate branding, preserving it only for marketing materials related to residential landline and long-distance services until a new logo was introduced in 2016.
Service Territory
Cincinnati Bell’s primary telecommunications operations concentrate on regions where its subsidiaries serve as incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs). Since the 1870s, Cincinnati Bell Telephone has acted as the ILEC within approximately a 25-mile radius surrounding downtown Cincinnati. As of 2019, this tri-state area encompasses:
- Hamilton County, along with most of Clermont and Butler counties, plus a portion of Warren County in Ohio
- Boone, Campbell, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, and Pendleton counties in Kentucky
- West Harrison in Indiana
Outside its ILEC jurisdiction, Cincinnati Bell Extended Territories provides services to Mason, Lebanon, and the Dayton metropolitan region. The acquisition of Hawaiian Telcom in 2018 broadened Cincinnati Bell’s ILEC reach to cover all of Hawaii.
OnX, a subsidiary specializing in enterprise IT solutions, delivers services throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Offerings
Cincinnati Bell has transitioned from traditional landline telephony toward more comprehensive communications and entertainment products. By 2017, legacy voice services represented only about one-quarter of its total revenue.
Landline Services
Although local and long-distance PSTN landline offerings continue to be available, subscriber numbers have decreased due to competition from wireless carriers and cable companies.
Internet Services
Within its service regions, Cincinnati Bell provides broadband Internet access, primarily competing against Charter Spectrum.
Fiber-Optic Network
Since 2009, Cincinnati Bell has delivered fiber-optic Internet, telephone, and IPTV services under the Fioptics brand—comparable to AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS. Fioptics supplies speeds ranging from 5 Mbit/s up to 2 Gbit/s to over half a million homes in the Cincinnati metro area. By 2019, its fiber network extended nearly 16,500 miles. In locations covered by Fioptics, ADSL connections offering speeds above 5 Mbit/s are no longer available.
Electricity Services
In 2011, Cincinnati Bell entered the retail energy market through its subsidiary Cincinnati Bell Energy by partnering with Viridian Energy. This initiative made it the first telecommunications company to offer electricity retail services, competing in power generation with an emphasis on renewable energy sourced entirely from wind.
Mobile telephony
Between 1998 and 2015, Cincinnati Bell Wireless (CBW) delivered GSM mobile services throughout southeastern Indiana, southwestern Ohio, and northwestern Kentucky. Its prepaid plans were available at retailers such as Best Buy, Office Depot, Kroger, and formerly Circuit City. CBW primarily provided HSPA+ coverage in Hamilton County, Ohio, while EDGE and GSM networks extended across a 21-county region including Dayton, Oxford, Celina, Urbana, Hillsboro, Corinth, Warsaw, and Batesville.
Cincinnati Bell’s entry into wireless communications dates back to approximately 1986 with a 45% investment in Ameritech Cellular. In 1998, the company acquired an 80% interest in AT&T Wireless Services’ Cincinnati-Dayton PCS network for more than $100 million. Marketing and sales responsibilities for Cincinnati Bell Wireless were managed internally, whereas AT&T Wireless oversaw technical operations. Following Cingular’s (now AT&T Mobility) acquisition of AT&T Wireless, Cincinnati Bell purchased the remaining 20% stake from Cingular in 2006 for $83 million, gaining full ownership of CBW. This transaction also resulted in lowered roaming fees between their GSM networks.
In April 2014, Cincinnati Bell declared its intention to sell its wireless spectrum and related assets to Verizon Wireless to concentrate on enterprise solutions and entertainment offerings such as Fioptics. CBW discontinued service on February 28, 2015; meanwhile, its retail outlets transitioned to retailing Verizon products.
Directory publishing
Since 1879, Cincinnati Bell produced local telephone directories. In 2002, these directory operations were separated into an independent entity known as CBD Media.
Retail footprint
Initially operating a network of Cincinnati Bell Phone Center stores until 1992, the company divested this retail chain to AT&T. The firm reestablished a retail presence in 1998 by opening three Store@Cincinnati Bell locations and expanded to nine stores as of 2018.
Downtown Cincinnati facilities
The corporate headquarters of Cincinnati Bell are located within the Atrium Two building on 4th Street in Downtown Cincinnati. The company’s former headquarters and telephone exchange situated on 7th Street—the Cincinnati and Suburban Telephone Company Building—is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. Nearby stands a data center operated by CyrusOne, a former subsidiary of Cincinnati Bell; this facility originally opened in 1975 as the company’s primary switching center.
Cincinnati Bell secured naming rights for the Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar system traversing downtown Cincinnati through a decade-long agreement initiated in 2016 valued at $3.4 million. Additionally, from 2007 through 2014, Cincinnati Bell sponsored the annual Cincinnati Bell/WEBN Riverfest, which ranks among the Midwest’s largest fireworks events.